Heart of the World
by Megurine-Mockingbird
Summary: "One day, after we've traveled the world, after we've learned all that was to be learned, we'll meet again. Right in the middle." When Ed and Al meet again, after almost two years, they do in Karma City, Aerugo. But only its inhabitants know that shadows lurk from afar, and in this new adventure, the Elrics might get tangled in them. Post-Brotherhood. Eventual AlxOC and EdxOC.
1. Chapter 1: Middle

**A/N: New story! Yeah, I put some of the others on hiatus because I kind of want to focus on this thingy. It's basically my Post-Brotherhood version which will involve plenty of new characters - allies AND villains - and some other stuff. Plus, I just loveee tall!Ed and normal!Al, so yeah. There WILL be some non-canon romance, but don't worry, it won't be the main focus. And it's gonna be flowing normally and things... I'm reaaally sleepy...  
**

**I'd appreciate if you could tell me if you think that I've made Ed and/or Al a bit OOC. :)  
**

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**:xx- CHAPTER I –xx:**

**[ middle ]**

"_Nothing that's written in any of these books is going to help me." Ed rubbed his palm against the top of his head, groaning lightly. A pile of open books and ripped papers was scattered around him and Al glanced at him meekly, with a helpless smile._

"_Another thing to do would be to stop being lazy and doing things manually?" the younger Elric suggested and Ed snorted._

"_It's not that," he retorted._

_Al pushed a few books aside, narrowing his golden eyes as the sun crept through the window, almost blinding him. He looked down solemnly and nodded slowly._

"_I'd miss Alchemy, too," he said simply and shut closed the lecture entitled "Manual for Alchemy"._

_...  
_

"_Winry," Ed began, looking for support into his brother's eyes – and surprisingly, Ed happened to be taller than Al just by his antenna. The girl blinked, her eyebrow arching. She didn't say anything because it was clear that they needed time to gather what they wanted to say. Eventually, Ed let out a small sigh and continued nonchalantly, "Me and Al have decided… we want to travel."_

"_Huh? All of sudden?" Winry placed her palms on her hips, scanning the two with curiosity glistening in her blue eyes. _

"…_It's not really like that," Al said and nudged Ed with his elbow lightly. "We want to continue studying Alchemy. Well, one of us has to even start over – " he broke into a light snicker when Ed gave him a wary look._

_Eventually, Ed managed to bring himself to look into Winry's eyes. "I don't know how much it will take. It will take as much as we need to." The corner of his lips twitched when she did a sudden movement which concluded to be a mere attempt to brush some of her hair out of her face._

_She waved her hand a few times. "I understand," she grumbled and then approached the brothers, placing her hands on one of each of their shoulders, a smile lighting up her face. "You've sacrificed enough. The fight and the struggles are gone. Just go on and pursue your dreams."_

_Both stood dumbfounded for a moment. Returning the smile, Al placed his hand on Winry's as he nodded and whispered a, "Thank you". Ed had to clear his throat, his head lowering slightly to overshadow the pink tint from his cheeks. _

"_Yeah," he grumbled, "Thanks, Winry."_

_...  
_

"_What are you going to do, Brother?" Al inquired, watching Ed bounce around the room and carelessly hurtling clothes and other objects into a travel suitcase. He stopped, however, for a moment and grinned, stretching lightly._

"_I think I want to visit the West, you know," he replied and glanced out through the window. The Earth was round. He closed his eyes and traveled swiftly, trying to imagine what continued to stretch beyond the green fields of Risembool, beyond Amestris' blue sky. When his eyes opened again, he rubbed the back of his head, chuckling. "Besides the unexplored Alchemy there, I also heard the food is great, man."_

_Al blinked and stretched a bittersweet smile, "Then I guess we won't be seeing each other for a while, huh…"_

_Ed slammed his suitcase close. He eyed Al for a second and lifted a brow. "Ah, I see. You want to visit May?" he teased. Much to his delight, there was a hint of red in Al's cheeks as he held out his arms, in a defensive manner._

"_N-No, it's not – " he bit his lip lightly, " …I want to go to East. And since I'll be there, I'll just stop to say hi."_

"_Great," Ed yawned and flopped on his back on the bed, staring at the light bulb which hung from the ceiling, "You do that, Al."_

_There was a moment of silence, which foreshadowed the joy that the two struggled to maintain._

_And then Al spoke, "We've been together so much."_

"_Yeah."_

"_It's kind of difficult – "_

"_I know."_

_Their glances met and the grave look in Ed's eyes made Al sigh slightly. He approached his brother, who now took a sitting position, and joined him – back to back, avoiding to see any memories roll through any of their eyes._

_Al held up his hand. He started moving his fingers, he clenched and unclenched his fist and let a little smile wipe his lips. "We've been through all of this to get our bodies back. And we did! And I know that we've been together, because only one could understand another. So thank you, brother."_

_Ed flinched lightly, his wide eyes staring in Al's direction. Slowly, Ed's head lowered and his fists clenched over his legs. "Yeah…let's live normally." He raised one of his fists and gently bumped it in Al's shoulder, with a wide grin. "Thanks, Al! Just continue that –what-do-do-after-I-get-my-body-back list of yours."_

_Al nodded swiftly as Ed shot up to his feet, a frown appearing on his face. _

"_I'll go West, you'll go East," he said._

_Al cried out, "Don't return until you get your Alchemy back!"_

"_And you," Ed pointed a finger at Al, "Steal all of Xing's Alchemy knowledge!"_

"_I will!"_

"_And one day," Ed stopped briefly and both him and Al could feel that the excitement now faded somewhere in the background, like a little flicker which would only be the spark of their adventurous fire, "After we've traveled the world, after we've learned all that was to be learned, we'll meet again. Right in the middle."_

_Al stood up, holding out his clenched fist, "Right in the middle. See you then, brother."_

_With a subtle smirk, Ed held out his own fist and bumped, gently, his knuckles against Al's._

_...  
_

There was a piano, notes flowing smoothly and slowly, in harmony. A voice went over, ghostly yet peaceful, which bent after the rhythm. The sound was trapped, inside a medium sized wooden box. Ed had his eyes closed for a moment, cutting himself off from the rest of the world – the anxious buzzing, chit chatting, steps… But one by one, the notes led him to a place which he wasn't really willing to go to right now…

His eyes opened and met his own reflection in the mirror inside the box. He was still the same Edward Elric, the boy with long blond hair and golden eyes. Except now he was wearing his hair only in a pony-tail, except he didn't have an automail anymore, except he didn't have his Alchemy anymore, except… he was a young man now, almost 20 years old.

And, of course, he was considerably taller.

Ed smirked and flicked the box closed, handing it back to the seller.

"You don't want it?" she said, disappointed, and pursed out her lips.

Ed raised a brow and eyed the woman, then looked at the box again. Shaking his head slowly, he lifted a palm, "Nah, thanks. I have to save some money."

She took the music box with a sigh, "Alright, fine."

He rotated his shoulders and frowned slightly, grumbling as he did so. Some of the clothes he'd hurriedly packed about an year ago were definitely too small for him now. He had to spend a big part of his money on new clothes. However, it was pretty difficult to find a shirt or a coat which fit him well since apparently he'd grown most around his shoulders, which now turned out to be rather broad.

"Hey!" the woman called after Ed. He blinked. "Stop by anytime you want, will you?"

A bit confused, yet grateful, Ed smiled sheepishly, "Yeah. I will – "

"I'm going to bring my niece along! She's looking for a boyfriend and I'm sure a fine, young lad like you would make her mama happy!" she squealed towards the end and Ed jolted, his eye twitching.

"Eh…" he stammered and awkwardly stepped away, "Yeah, that's very flattering, but –"

"She adores tall men!"

"…"

Ed opened his arms and raised his shoulders, "Well, who wouldn't? I'd love me too." There was a round of laughter from the woman and slowly, Ed proceeded to continue. Over the journey, he collected different objects from the cities and towns he'd stopped in. And the last stop was Karma City, Aerugo. His luck was that the train which was supposed to take him to the next destination – which was a country neighboring Aerugo – had a delay of a day. And that day, a souvenir fair came in town.

Karma was definitely an interesting city. It had a very aristocratic air to it, which could be found all over Aerugo, in fact. The reason could have been that it was a monarchy and a rather old country, not known for anything in particular other than its extravagant balls and myths.

"Oh man, I wish I could find a myth book…" Ed mumbled, looking around for a shelf with books.

But there was something that really troubled Ed. It was the fact that he didn't make an entry visa for Aerugo. One wasn't required if he had to spend exactly 24 hours in the country, but since he wasn't…

He heard the music box's song again and he stopped.

_Did I just walk around in a circle? _Ed pondered with a bothered frown. He slipped his hands into his pockets and stretched a long gaze over his shoulder, the woman who tried to sell the box entering his sight again.

His mouth turned into a straight line. _If she sees me again, she'll take it as if I accepted seeing that niece of hers…_He winced lightly, his fists clenching inside the pockets, _Yeah… As if…_

The woman puffed her cheeks, blaring out with exasperation, "You don't want it either?!"

"Ah, no..."

Ed felt a pump inside his chest.

"I'll give you a sale for it! Come on…"

"I… Okay, then. I wanted to buy something for a friend of mine, anyway – "

"Al!" Ed called out hastily.

Quickly, Al slid his head out, his face rather blank. Blinking for a few moments – he tried to convince himself that it wasn't an illusion of sorts – his lips slowly slipped into a large smile, then a smirk and then in an elated grin.

"Brother!" he exclaimed and handed the payment for the box to the woman, took the object and then rushed towards Ed – who was rushing towards _him._

And then, after a moment, they met and without worrying about anything that was to come or that already had been, they jumped in each other's arms, chuckling, nudging, pushing one another.

"Brother, you've…!" Al paused and glanced at a sparkling Ed, who had his ears all wide in expectation for a praise, "You didn't really grow any taller…"

Ed twitched. "Hey!" he held a palm above his head and drew a line towards Al, trying to measure the height, "Is this seriously the first thing you say to your older brother after this time?" There was a difference of about three fingers between the two, but again, the antenna made up for it.

Ed decided to brush aside the height topic and grumbled, silently blaming his leg automail for the lack of growth. Al arched his brows.

"What's wrong with the leg?" he questioned.

Ed pressed his palms against the leg, stretching and bending it – exercising. It hurt him a little bit, but there was nothing that could be done. "It doesn't seem like it suits me anymore…" he replied lowly.

Al was lost. "Why not go see Winry?"

Ed cringed.

"…Then, why not call her here?"

"I can't do that," Ed replied grimly, quickly leaving his automail be.

"Brother…" Al said softly and eyed him with disapproval, "Whatever happened with you and her, it shouldn't affect you professionally."

Ed almost toppled over when a rushed person knocked against his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he turned to face the aggressor, but he or she was already gone. Ed blinked and glanced around. The fair had turned into a real hustle. The vendors were gathering their merchandise as quickly as possible, scattering into the narrow alleys between the old, classy buildings.

"Something is going on…" Al said lowly and Ed nodded.

"It's probably the police. Many of them should be illegally selling objects here."

There was a pause, then –

"Oh God!" Ed panicked, bringing the feeling of dread in Al's eyes, "The police?! I don't have a visa!"

"C-Calm down, brother!" Al cried out, shaking him by the collar and also restraining him from just running off to a hideout together with the vendors, "I have a visa."

Ed clapped his palms together and rubbed them together, pleased, "You're my savior, Alphonse!"

Al took the card from his pocket. He blinked.

"Oh – "

"What's with that?! I don't like hearing _the _'oh'!"

"It expired two hours ago."

"…"

Ed cupped his hands on his cheeks and growled, "Then just make one using Alchemy!"

"What?!" Al jolted, "I can't do that!"

"Of course you can, you can use Alchemy."

"Yes, I… No, that's not what I meant! It's illegal."

Ed drew closer, his eyes suspiciously scanning the zone. He placed a palm in front of his mouth, "It's not illegal if we don't get caught…"

Al snapped, "Quit putting us in troublesome situations already!"

"Ahem."

It wasn't Ed who said that. It wasn't Al who said that either. Wide eyed, the two turned to the source of the sound and they met the bull eyes of an officer.

"Mister beloved officer~" Ed purred out, pulling out a fan and casually fluttering it towards the man, "How are you today?"

He held out a hand. "May I see an identity card, please?"

A boulder fell on Ed's head, holding the fan tighter, "I, eh… I'm from Amestris…"

The officer arched a brow. "Then, can I see a visa?"

"You see," Al bumped in and held out his expired card, "It was available until a few hours ago, but we can't leave..."

"Yeah!" Ed jumped, "Our train towards Bastile is delayed!"

The officer sighed. He started searching his jacket's pockets, shaking his head. And then, in a flicker, as if the sun had blinded him for a moment, Ed saw the man's contour explode into pools of blood, which contrasted with the blue sky. He froze and, instinctively, him and Al attempted defense stances towards each other.

_That's right…_Ed thought when the officer hit the ground, splashing in a red puddle, _I heard a shot._

* * *

__**A/N: This was it! Woot, woot! I loved writing this chapter, me loves some Ed and Al brotherly fluff. And it won't stop here, yeah! Anyway, 'til the next chapter. I can't guarantee that it will be like this one, length wise or that it will come out tomorrow or other day.**

**Don't forget to review. :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Cafe D'Ulmo

**A/N: It's Chapter 2, it's here. I know that the cliffhanger might have seemed a bit sudden, and so might the whole situation, but it just happened. Things will be explained. As for the content of this chapter, it introduces a woman I really love - D'Alma Ulmo - who will play big parts in the future, and also partially introduces two other characters, also important in the future.  
**

**Enjoy this chapter.  
**

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**:xx- CHAPTER II –xx:**

**[ café d'ulmo ]**

"Freedom! Give us our freedom!"

_Freedom, huh?_

They were outraged. Those people who've made the vendors scatter. It was clear to see that the source of the mass insecurity was not that officer, the poor rag doll who now laid in a pool of blood in the middle of the improvised market. More voices exclaimed the same line as once, expecting reinforcements, but as the number of armed people grew nobody came. And they wanted… freedom?

"Brother…" Al whispered under his breath, snapping Ed abruptly from his thoughts. He slowly glanced at his brother, both affected and not by what happened – at the same time. Ed nodded slowly and peeked up from one of the stands, scanning the zone. Quickly, he pulled himself back in their hideout.

"They're still there," he said lowly, much to Al's concern.

"Yeah," Al replied and clenched his hands around his knees, "I can hear them."

Ed frowned, "How do we manage to always end up in situations like this?"

Al let out a small chuckle, which resembled actually more a giggle, but it was low enough to only leave a surprised Ed glance at him. "I guess one of us is a bad luck bringer, then."

Ed wondered… did they end up in the middle of a civil war? Or, to make the situation less dramatic, could it be a mere violent manifestation of some protesters of sorts? Well, whichever it was, it was clear that he and Al had to think of a good way of getting out of there. He glanced behind and saw that at a distance of a couple of stands there was a building. With some help from Alchemy, they could make a door and escape. He couldn't help but pull a face.

_Alchemy…_Ed mused with a childish melancholy.

"Do you have an idea?" Al questioned, growing visibly more frustrated as the attackers advanced into the square. Ed nodded hesitatingly.

The older Elric only managed to open his lips when the fire started. His eyes stretched wide and it was a life-saver instinct when he fell down on his stomach, dragging Al down after him.

"W-what's going on?!" Al exclaimed, crossing his arms over the top of his head.

"Hell if I know," Ed replied through his teeth. He struggled to get a peek through the stand which collapsed on the ground and broke. He managed to notice, besides the rather average looking people, some who wore white clothes, which led him to the possibility of those people wearing uniforms.

"Local military…?" Al wondered silently, his voice hiding any sort of hint of panic.

The fallen wooden stand blew up completely and the two rolled over, to avoid any pieces from getting, most of all, into their eyes.

"Get up, now!" a male exclaimed.

Ed shuffled up to his feet, holding his arms up in defense as he tried to brush the little sprains from his black coat. He rolled his eyes over the figure which stood before him coolly, keeping a gun pointed in his direction. It was one of the people dressed in white. Ed processed in his head the words he should say.

"Are you from the military? I think you – "

"Shut up!"

Ed's fingers twitched, for a moment he was tempted to pull a move that was meant to disarm the man. It was risky, however, and as Ed scanned the zone properly, he could tell that there were too many people he'd have to run from.

He frowned, jumping in a semi-offensive state, "Look, you're making a big mistake – "

"Lichbein!" the man called, in a ragged voice, "Come over here, I got one!"

"What?!" Ed jolted, "You got my ass, you little – "

And suddenly, he was almost knocked over on the ground by a specimen in full speed movement. Lucky enough, Ed wasn't one to not have experience in situations like this.

"Come on, Brother! I don't think these guys are willing to negotiate anything," Al called out and kept dragging the other after him.

"For someone who didn't have his own legs for some years, you _are _pretty fast," Ed remarked as he glanced over his shoulder. It allowed him to locate the origins of the bullets which started to be projected towards him and Al, and therefore to dodge them or at least get in hiding behind or under something.

Al stopped abruptly from his run; he clapped his palms and then pressed them against the ground, lifting a wall – not too high, but wide enough to form a barrier between both shooter categories.

"Alphonse, good job!" Ed exclaimed with a jump, holding a thumb up and a grin on his face. Then Al stood up before the other, with a grave expression on his face.

"You did _not _get your Alchemy back?!" he cried out and Ed simply blinked, puzzled. "What happened?"

Ed lowered his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. During this year and a half, he'd only talked to Al once. They've promised each other to not communicate and watch out for their own lives in their journeys, but it was a pretty… critical moment for Ed at that time. And he just had to call his brother and tell about him and Winry. It really wasn't as dramatic, not even half, as Ed made the whole situation seem. But it was enough to stop him from paying anymore visits to his childhood friend since then. However, Al never found out about the Alchemy.

"I don't think it's the place to be talking about this," Ed grumbled.

A shot echoed in the air between them. Ed's heart stopped for a moment and he turned to face Al, who was dumbfounded. A thin red line formed on his cheek, letting a drop of blood gently drip down his creamy skin, which turned briefly as cold as a snow layer.

"Quickly," Ed breathed out and pulled Al towards him, "Do something!"

It was too late, obviously too late to run away anymore. All the masses were after them – as if any kind of conflict that they had simply vanished, with their sole purpose being to hunt down the Elric brothers. Al clapped his hands, but he didn't get to do anymore movements.

He winced, a bullet shooting right into one of his palms. As he got separated from Ed, he started a seemingly long process of falling down on the ground. He managed to keep his eyes focused on Ed and…

Al gulped bitterly.

Ed was foolish enough to try and defend himself with his right arm. That was all. Al felt his head hit a solid object and the image blurred. Lastly, he could hear Ed's winces and groans as he called out his name. It felt like that time, when his brother almost gave up his heart to get his body back.

Al's lip corners twitched in an ironic smile as he blacked out… Ed returned his body so _this _would happen?

...

His eyes fluttered open slowly. He had to blink a few times to adjust the image. It was a bit dark… did he go blind? Nah, it was brown. It seemed like a ceiling. It seemed too nice to be the ceiling of a prison, even though there would be no sense in being there. His right hand stretched out slowly, but he stopped with a flinch.

_Goddamn… it hurts, _he thought and moved the other hand up to pull a piece of cloth off of his forehead. He sat up slowly, inspecting the surroundings and the first thing he noticed was the velvet colored couch he was laid on. And secondly, he saw the fancy chandelier which hung above his head. The third thing he saw…

"Brother, you're awake," Al said with a helpless smile, from a couch opposing his.

Ed sighed, "Where the hell are we?"

There was heard a crash, which sent a chilling vibe down Ed's spine.

"You don't refer to _my _place with the word _hell, _you little brat…" It was a demon. It came from the deepest pits of the Hell and it transformed Ed into a fluid thing which cascaded down on the floor.

"Yes, ma'am…" he uttered absently.

Ed's life flashed before his eyes. And, in all its honesty, he thought there couldn't be any worse than Olivier Mira Armstrong and Izumi Curtis. But this voice belonged to a woman, too. It was _pretty _clear that women were all demons sent on Earth to terrorize the life out of Edward Elric.

"Get up from my carpet!" the crash was heard again and –

Ed shot up to his feet, standing straight.

Al toppled over the edge of the couch and hit the ground with a thud. He quickly stood up also, wincing and balancing from one leg to another. "Yes ma'am! Sorry ma'am!"

The woman stared at them with icy, pitch black eyes. Her hair was of a light grey, long and caught in a pony-tail. Interesting enough, she didn't look old whatsoever. She seemed to only be in her 40's or maybe even younger. All over her right arm there was an abstract tattoo, none of the two brothers being able to put his finger on it. She sighed and lifted a cigarette to her lips.

"Sit down, you're injured," she said and the two obeyed, basically knocking themselves against the couches. She opened an eye and looked at the stiff boys. Her eyes narrowed, "Don't stay still like ice cubes, idiots."

Ed and Al winced –

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Sorry, ma'am!"

She pulled a chair towards her and arched an eyebrow, bending over her own leg. A smirk appeared on her face as she scanned the two intently. "What do we have here, huh?"

Ed blinked at Al, then a bit hesitant, he decided to reply, "We're Edward and Alphonse Elric." That's all that he decided to say. He wasn't sure how they ended up here, or who this woman was or what was this place… it instantly meant that she wasn't trustworthy.

"Seems like you got plenty of questions up ya heads," she remarked with a shrug. Ed opened his mouth, but she held up a hand as she inhaled some of her cigarette. "You're from Amestris, right?"

The boys nodded slowly.

She hurtled her cigarette away and skewed her head, "It's only fair to reply to you with my name. It's what you guys call it there, 'equivalent exchange' – "

"What?" Ed jumped, "Don't you also have Alchemy?"

The woman narrowed her eyes darkly, the older Elric slouching his shoulders and shuddering at the sight. "Equivalent exchange, brat. It should have been Alchemy stuff for other Alchemy stuff. In this case, it's name for name. My name is D'Alma Ulmo. Friends call me Alma. You're not my friends, so call me madam Ulmo or just madam."

Al gave a quick frightened look towards Ed, who seemed to be a lot busier studying the zone. It had a counter, with a shelf for all kinds of spices and drinks. Moreover, there were little round tables and chairs both inside and outside. All tables had menus on top of them.

"And this is my café," Alma said suddenly, in a voice that made the two jump. It was a situation where they felt like little lambs inside the wolf's nest. She looked at them curiously, they looked at her desperately… and she started laughing.

Ed pulled a face, blinking multiple times. Al leaned towards him slowly and whispered, "…This is even scarier." With a nod, Ed agreed, his fingers dug into the couch.

She stopped laughing with a snort, leaning her jaw against her knuckles. "You two are adorable," she said with a grin. Powders of red color crossed their faces and their heads began spinning. Ed was definitely freaked out and Al was simply… lost. Alma slid up from her chair, patting the counter proudly.

"Café D'Ulmo – it's our family business, almost as old as Aerugo itself. The name runs along with fame. We're famous for the great cappuccinos, the coffees and the cakes… well, basically for everything," she paused, looking as if she'd just realized something. Curiously, she looked at Ed and Al, "Would _you _like to taste an overpriced sample?"

Ed looked at Al, Al gulped at Ed. Then they looked at Alma and they swore her eyes had almost shined. "Yes, madam Ulmo, we'd love an overpriced sample!"

Alma snickered again, knocking her fist against a bell on the counter, "Good boys then…" – her voice rose at the next line – "Charlotte! Cedric! Whoever it is, come and serve our new customers!"

"Hey, madam…" Ed started lowly, getting a stoic look from Alma, "Can I ask you something?"

She looked at him intently, eventually approaching the two and taking a seat again in her finely sculptured chair. She crossed her legs and narrowed her eyes, which had a very Xingese vibe to them. "It depends," she retorted coolly.

Ed furrowed his brows, his eyes glistening from the reflection of the light which passed through the chandelier's crystals. "Who are you? Why are we here? What happened?"

There was a moment of sudden movement on Alma's part, which could be translated as if she was just about to smack Ed for his 'imprudence' and persistence. However, she had to settle with a sigh as she rubbed at her temple. "It's your right to know, after all…" she mumbled and Ed confirmed with a firm nod.

"I've already told you who I am – "

Ed opened his mouth and she held up a finger, "Nah! This is all you need to know. And then, you are here because I've managed to convince the Intern Corpse of your good intentions. And what happened is…" she stopped when a girl entered the room, absently gazing at the tray she was holding.

The girl had chocolate brown hair, which reached her chin, with two little braids coming from the sides of her fringe – they were almost reaching her shoulders – and light hazel eyes. As she put the tray down, starting to hand a cup and a muffin to each, Al and Ed found themselves staring oddly at her… she left the impression of an empty doll.

"What did you give them?" Alma inquired and the girl moved aside, "Ah, I see… Mint hot chocolate and lemon muffin, then cinnamon coffee and dark chocolate for the short one."

Ed slammed his cup against the table, his teeth gritting, _Short?! SHORT?! How the hell am I short now?! You little hag…_ Al squeezed his shoulders, smiling nervously, "Brother… you're just shorter than me… that's all…"

Then Al turned his attention towards Alma, leaving his brother fume in the background. His eyes traveled unwillingly towards the girl as he spoke, "You've mentioned 'Intern Corpse'? What's that?"

"First things first," Alma said and lit up another cigar, "Alphonse, this is my niece – Charlotte." Al blushed and stammered for a moment, but let it pass since Alma didn't seem to be too impressed with reactions like those. She continued, "Charlotte, these are Edward and Alphonse Elric. Meeting done." She blew out some smoke before watching for a moment the men in white uniforms march by.

"These guys deal with conflicts within the country."

* * *

**A/N: Ed and Al fans who are curious about their journeys, I will review the things they've experienced each later on. It might seem a bit confusing that Ed had a 'thing' with Winry and that he couldn't get his Alchemy back... no problems, I'll get back to it. Until the next chapter, then.**

**Don't forget to review! :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Guilty Until

**A/N: Hey! Chapter 3 is up and, as you can see, it is visibly shorted. The explanation is that I have many things that I want to happen and if I had to continue, it'd be a huge chapter. And since I couldn't find a better place to end it... eh, here it is. It's not that full of events, but they are the basic, logic stuff that would happen in a foreign country to anyone who's done what Ed and Al did. It's not the kind of trouble they've been in when in Amestris, but this is life, right?  
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**Either way, I hope you like it. Also, I appreciate all the reviews I've got so far, as well as the follows and favorites. I love you and thank you!  
**

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**:xx- CHAPTER III –xx:**

**[ guilty until ]**

It was now clear that the incident from the square, at the fair, was not a coincidence. It was something that the citizens of Karma were rather aware of, especially since streets seemed to be flooded by the people in white uniform – the so called Intern Corpse. Ed had dared to poke his head out of the café, only to see the sight of the Intern officers interrogating people from the streets about different people, shown in photographs. Slowly, he pulled back inside and frowned, glancing silently at a nonchalant Alma.

"For how long has this been going on?" Ed asked and took a seat at one of the tables. His face softened up slightly at the sight of his muffin, decorated with colorful sprinkles in the shape of a smiling face.

"Eh," Alma huffed dryly, "Not that long, I'd give it a month."

"A month?" Al said worriedly, "Why did it even start?"

"What do you think?" she replied with a huff, leaning in her chair and frowning at Ed who had stuffed the whole muffin in his mouth, "It's just another form of protest against the monarchy, this time taken to the extremes."

"Buw ish now fae!"

All the three people in the room – Al, Alma and Charlotte, glanced at Ed. He blinked and struggled to swallow the muffin and empty his mouth. He cleared his throat and pumped his fist against his chest, coughing. "I said it's not fair," he said soberly, "If it's a form of protest, not only that it shouldn't degenerate to violence, but it definitely shouldn't be violence poured down on innocent people."

Alma sighed silently, "In all your naivety, you're right, kid... Neither the Intern Corpse, nor the policemen responsible for visa should fall for the pitfalls of the manifestation of some angry people."

Al finished his own cupcake and licked his lips, a pleased expression on his face. "That was really good!" he said with honesty and Charlotte flashed a little smile. As she bent forward towards the tray and the empty cup, Al sat up quickly, shaking his hands above them, "No, no. Leave me do it."

She blinked once and shook her head frantically.

Al felt the need to defend himself, "…I mean, your aunt saved us." He knitted his eyebrows slowly and dodged her hazel eyes, which fixed him intently, sending off a powerful vibe. It was a strange thing and unusual. By the time he brought his eyes back on her, she already took the tray and started walking off.

Several people stormed into the café, Alma quickly standing up with a frown. Ed shot up from his seat and carefully took a few steps backwards until he stopped in the back, next to Al. There were three men, all of them dressed in the white uniforms. The one who stood in the front was decorated with silver stars and he started gazing around, much to Alma's anger. He was extremely pale and he had sky blue eyes and thin, short dark brown hair.

"The Intern Corpse…?" Ed breathed out, slightly frustrated.

"What do you want, Lichbein?" Alma hissed lowly, blocking his way when he attempted to move in. She crossed her legs, raised a brow and slammed her fist against the counter. At the same time, Ed and Al quickly looked at each other. It was enough to transfer the same message: they've heard that name before.

Lichbein raised his arm and pointed out a finger towards the Elrics – Ed's shoulder and upper arm were bandaged and Al had a bandage around his head, hand and a little cut on his cheek. "Them," his voice was deep and resonant, "I want them to come over and explain their presence in the square when the rebel attack occurred."

"The hell," Ed huffed and looked with accusation at Alma, "I thought you said you've explained – "

She kicked a chair, knocking it over on the ground with a thud and Ed took a few careful backsteps, while Lichbein stared unimpressed at the woman. "You got it wrong, I never said that," she said through her teeth, but it only made Ed's boil in his veins. Obviously, it was obvious, she couldn't have been trusted. But he decided to turn and face Lichbein, who stared dully at them.

"Who are you?" Ed inquired flatly.

The other's reply came quickly, "My name is Reynard Lichbein. I'm the Captain of Karma City's Intern Corpse." Ed was left a bit puzzled, since Lichbein was professional enough to formally introduce himself. That person seemed, at the very least, a rather sober person, unable to laugh. Most probably, he was the kind of person to take a joke seriously.

"I see," Ed grumbled, "I'm Edward Elric and this is my brother, Alphonse."

Lichbein raised his brows and that expression gave him a sinister air. "Elric? I've heard of you two," he held out a hand towards Ed, "You must be the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"_Was_," Ed retorted quickly, "I was the Fullmetal Alchemist, now an honorary military member. Retired, but honorary."

"Aren't you a bit too young for retirement?"

Ed stopped himself from answering when he noticed Alma's frustration. She wasn't shy in expressing it, "It's not the time for your obsessive military talk that you have a reputation over."

"I agree," Lichbein said, in a rather submissive tone, "We shall get to our duties. Elric brothers, I request that you come with us. In first instance, if you refuse, we'll have to ask you again. If you refuse again, I might have to arrest you."

Ed was about to protest when Alma raised a palm. "You can't do that," she hissed, "These boys are not Aerugo's citizens. And they don't have a visa either. The only place

you can them to is the Immigrant Section."

Lichbein narrowed his eyes, but quickly returned to his dull and dead-serious face, "It is not illegal immigration that we are calling them over for. It's for the conflict. But you're right, whatever it is, they are not our citizens. And therefore, it is not something that the Intern Corpse can deal with. Allow me to rephrase."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the two other men behind him stepping forward. "Edward and Alphonse Elric, you are arrested due to involvement into an intern conflict. You are accused of spying, conspiracy and border crossing. You are found guilty until you are proven to be otherwise."

Ed held out his arms, while Al simply froze. For a moment he was about to try and snatch himself away when he saw Charlotte gingerly shake her head. He just had to give in and tap Ed's ankle with his foot.

"Brother, let's just stay still… we might get in more trouble. We didn't do anything," he suggested helplessly.

"I know that, Al!" Ed huffed and gave the one who handcuffed him an offensive look, "But shouldn't we be _not _guilty until proven otherwise?"

"It's the judiciary system in our country," Lichbein said dryly and he glanced at Alma, who was now behind the counter and was apparently cleaning up the spice shelf.

"Where are you taking us?" Al asked.

"Since it is not my responsibility, we will pass you to the Defense Corpse, since it is its duty to deal with extern matters, among others," said Lichbein.

Ed and Al exchanged looks – Al was worried and, through the anger from Ed's eyes, there could also be seen some concern. 'Defense' Corpse sounded a lot more mighty than 'Intern'. But, putting names aside, they've just been arrested.

When they thought that getting in trouble because of a visa could be the worse that could happen, _this _happened. Ed didn't let his eyes off of Lichbein's figure, who decided to remain behind, seated at the counter, as he and Al were being escorted out.

The whole situation was fishy.

* * *

**A/N: This was it! Next chapter won't be Ed and Al behind bars, don't worry... I'll introduce the badass institution which pretty much equals the military- the Defense Corpse. And starting with Chapter 5, the supernatural and fantastic stuff will start.**

**Don't forget to review! ^_^  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Sentenced

**A/N : To the Guest who asked me if it's not 'corp' instead of 'corpse' – hey! I'm glad you've left me a question. But no, it's not. They are called 'corpses' between the normal people. It has a reason, but I can't tell you! Otherwise, it's just Defense _Department_ or Intern _Department_ etc.**

* * *

**:xx- CHAPTER IV –xx:****  
**

**[ sentenced ]**

During their stay in Karma, neither Ed nor Al got the chance of visiting the very heart of the city, respectively the center. It was a whole new world, separated, for example, from the square and the zone Café D'Ulmo was positioned in. Shortly put, it was a difference of eras. The center was completely futurist, filled with mostly shades of silver, gold and black, while the other zones had a Victorian vibe to them.

The Elrics couldn't stay focused on their situation, and now they both stared in awe at the building before them. It was of a shiny silver color, with black lines around its edges. Also in black but in bold letters, stood simply written: The Capitol. The architecture was outstanding by itself, to be frank, putting aside the impressive garden and the coloring.

Ed looked around and realized that their 'escorts' had stopped at the gate – it was rather close to the entrance of the building itself. From time to time, they saluted the other officers who passed by and Ed had to admire the diversity of clothing. Some wore silver, some wore gold, but the majority wore white. It made lots of questions roll in his head, because Aerugo truly seemed to be fascinating, arrest thing being put aside.

"Hey," Ed called towards one of the escorts, "Why did we stop?"

"They stopped for me," Lichbein said, out of nowhere, and stepped in through the gate as the two officers saluted firmly, "I do apologize for being late. Business called."

Ed snorted, "Yeah, right." He only received a dim glare from Lichbein before he was told to proceed through the gate, together with Al. The latter seemed just as fascinated by the Capitol, if not more. He was turning his head left and right, inspecting the different people that passed by. They eventually entered the building, walking along a hallway with shiny floor, which left the impression of being close to slip.

"Mister Lichbein," Al said and Lichbein nodded, "What is this place?"

"This is the Capitol, the heart of all military – to say so – activities of our country. It is also the place where trials for people meant to be judged are set."

Al cringed, "You are sending us to a trial?" Lichbein didn't say anything. He stopped in front of a light blue door and signaled towards the brothers to have a seat on one of the two benches by the two sides of the door. They obeyed and, with a frustrated sigh, they sat down. Ed looked up at their escorts, who didn't leave them at all. It was definitely a bother to think that they considered him and Al to be such threats. However, it could have been just as well, a simple formality which applied to every possible future prisoner.

The door closed behind Lichbein and everyone was prepared for a long wait. It turned out that whatever he did then only lasted about 5 minutes. When he crept the door open, he invited the ones who waited outside to enter the room. It didn't meet Ed's expectations, since he almost imagined a room filled with witnesses and all kinds of people, in front of an unforgiving judge. But it seemed like it was only a normal room, like a larger office, with three people at the desk. The walls were painted in abstract patterns and the main colors were dark brown and gold. Ed furrowed his brows when one of the men at the office scanned him through his glasses.

"Have a seat, boys," he said, in a raspy but pleasant voice. Then he nodded towards the two escorts, "You may leave now." They obeyed and, with a bow, exited the room as Lichbein retreated to a corner. Ed and Al sat down hesitatingly and looked at each other. They weren't sure what to expect, but nobody said anything. Should they be the one to say something? If so, then what?

Ed inspected the three which had their noses buried in papers and books. The one in the middle was the one who had addressed them, wearing little round glasses. His hair was gray and rare, reaching his chin, but he wore a tall hat to cover it up. On his left there was a much younger man, with golden hair, curly around his fringe. And the last one was even older than the first and he wore rectangular glasses and his hair was messy and black, but white around the roots.

Suddenly, the last one coughed in a way that made Ed jump and the other two give him a look of reproof. With a sigh, the one in the middle took his glasses off with a shaky hand and revealed his small eyes, of an ocean blue. "It is only fair that you know where you are. I am Caiprin, judge Caiprin. The young man over here," he stopped and simply waved a hand towards the blond with violet eyes, "is judge Hideon. And if you want to address judge Albern," he pointed at the other, "you'd want to speak a little bit louder."

Caiprin, Hideon and Albern… Ed raised a brow and Al looked plain confused. It made Caiprin smile faintly.

"What have you two boys done?" he asked gently and Lichbein quickly stepped in, leaving a report on their desks. Ed glanced towards Hideon and felt the need to stick his tongue out, but managed to contain it. Caiprin took the file and put his glasses back on.

"Sir," Ed couldn't resist anymore, "We're only visitors in Karma. In no way we've been involved in the… uh, conflicts."

"Well, you've been there," Caiprin noted and Ed blinked, stammering for a second, "That makes you involved, my boy."

"We know that, sir…" Al said faintly, "But we never took part – "

"Hmph," Hideon cut him off as he raised his pointy chin, "Prove that."

"What?!" Ed almost jumped up from his chair, "It's not like you can prove that we _have _been involved!" Albern knocked his fist against the desk a few times, but it was his loud and pretty disgusting sounding cough that drew the others' attention.

Caiprin sighed and glanced up at Lichbein, expectantly, "What happened, Lichbein?"

He crossed his arms at his back as he replied, ignoring a grumbling Ed from the background, "They've been found in the square. When officer Levin tried to interrogate them, they've ran away and tried, by all means, to keep us from advancing."

Caiprin narrowed his eyes, "What kind of means?"

Lichbein glanced briefly at a fuming Ed before answering, "They've used Alchemy."

Caiprin lowered his head and nodded shortly, "I understand."

"You see?" Al interfered, "We didn't do anything."

Suddenly, Caiprin stretched out a hand and patted both Al and Ed on their shoulders, a small smile playing his lips, "I know that. In my life, I've learned how to read a lie. And also, Lichbein learned to never try and hide the truth. But, words can be interpreted. It is not in my sole power to decide your fate." He retreated his hands and pointed towards the door, Ed and Al glancing behind slightly puzzled. "You may leave. I'll announce you our decision."

Followed by Lichbein, they returned to the hallway and Ed frowned, displeased, when he saw that the escorts were still there. Huffing, he sat down and started moving his wrists in the handcuffs. They were made in a way that didn't let him clap his hands – it was obviously a way to avoid Alchemy use.

"Hey, Brother…" Al said suddenly. Ed raised his brows. Al continued lowly, "What do you think will happen?"

Ed snorted. "What _could _happen? Jail us for going on a shopping spree?" Al managed to smile as he shrugged. This time, some minutes passed as they waited. At a certain point, it's almost been half of hour. Ed has started swinging his legs back and forward, but his metal limb began to ache where the nerves were connected and he had to stop. As he glanced at his bandaged right arm, he realized that, sometimes, he wished that it was the auto-mail again. The door opened and Hideon stepped out.

_Why him…? _Ed thought and wrinkled his nose, exchanging sharp looks with the judge.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric," Hideon said and there was a hint of childish joy in his voice, "We have decided that you are an emergency situation. And, therefore, we have approved your transfer to a trial in front of the Defense Department's court."

Ed and Al were stunned. They were confused too, but mostly stunned. It was ridiculous.

Hideon shrugged and brushed a hand through his hair, proceeding back into the room, "This is our final decision." And then, with a smile on his face, he closed the door. Ed pressed his teeth together and shot up to his feet, having the escorts interfere and get firm grips of his shoulders.

"That damned bastard!" Ed hissed then cringed, when one of the officers put too much effort in his injured shoulder. "Ouch, ouch!" Ed exclaimed and pulled back, now simply glaring at the door. Lichbein entered his sight and he pointed his head towards a certain direction.

"Let's go," he said dully.

"Hey, hold on a minute, _Lichbein!_" Ed spat and Lichbein stopped, giving him a stoic, wondering look. "I think we deserve to know what the hell just happened."

"Yes," Lichbein nodded, "You are fairly correct. Just look around you."

Ed scanned the zone rapidly, but it was enough to comprehend that this space they were in was in the shape of a circle, with several hallways. There were around ten doors, all looking the same, to go through. Ed nodded, impatiently.

"These are the Trial Rooms. People arrested for something that is unclear are brought here, into a random room. The three judges inside analyze the situation and decide. And there are three possible decisions: release, send in trial or send in emergency trial."

"Just our luck," Al said with a sigh.

Lichbein continued, "It is only obvious that in trials it is decided whether you will be released or sentenced to a certain punishment. The difference between an emergency and normal trial is that in the latter, you must make an appointment in an available date. It could take as little as a minute or as much as a month. While in an emergency trial, you are naturally being judged in the immediate moment."

There was a moment of silence before Ed asked, "Why are we going to this Defense Department?"

"Because, like madam Ulmo mentioned, you are not Aerugian citizens. You cannot be judged by the National Court. The Defense Department has a court of its own, an army of its own and more," he looked up at the clock, "Is this all?"

Ed was tempted to give a negative response, but he just had to get it over with. All the five people exited the round space of the Trial Rooms and went upstairs, into a square shaped space. It was silent and there was only one large black door, with abstract patterns sculptured in. They had to wait again, until the door opened and an arrested man was escorted out, in tears.

Ed glanced at Al, who gulped gently.

Lichbein tapped Ed's shoulder, "Go inside. I am not allowed to attend."

Ed rushed like a train through the open doors, while a slightly panicked and more hesitant Al followed. It was something they've never dealt with and it was pretty strange. This entire floor apparently belonged to the Defense Department and it was decorated in a way that was enough to frighten just by looking.

Ed stopped in the middle of a round room and glanced up, feeling tiny, absolutely little. He was surrounded by around five or six rows of seats, filled with people wearing black and blue. Right in front of him stood someone who wore clothing of a plain black. Ed jolted, since it was judge Albern who'd just broke into another fit of coughs.

When he stopped, he held up a hand and said solemnly, "Let the Emergency Trial number 4523 begin. Case: the Elric brothers."

…

It's been a while. The trial took, on clock, almost two hours. It was exhausting and it was nothing but taking one by one, the accusations that have been brought to them and developing them. All that Ed and Al could do was defending themselves, simply allowed to say whether they've done or not a certain thing.

Lichbein was still outside, he didn't sit down the entire time, and instead he kept gazing with seriousness at a wall. He was almost like a statue and it send some chills down the two escorts' spines. He only moved his gaze away when the doors opened and Ed and Al walked out, with blank expressions.

A woman made stuck her hand out and gave Lichbein the file, which contained the final sentence of the court. Lichbein frowned lightly.

Ed held his hands out, allowing the escorts to take off his handcuffs. He was frowning as much as Lichbein did. It was… he didn't know how to take it. Was it good or was it bad?

"_The Emergency Court, Defense Department wing, has decided that there was no base to the accusations of involvement into the conflict at the square. However, the Elric brothers have been found guilty of possible espionage and, therefore, sentenced to six months of arrest within Karma City's borders. As well, they will be handed a permission to stay in Aerugo for that period of time and a pass which offers them the possibility to work. The next trial is programmed within six months, when the Defense Department should finish the investigations."_

"Brother…" Al said, skewing his head. Ed seemed really thoughtful, "At least we weren't put in jail – "

Ed stretched suddenly, but winced since he'd forgotten about his arm. With a grin, he patted Al's shoulder. "Don't worry, Al. I guess it's good. We have some time to learn this country's history, traditions, myths… but most importantly…"

Al's face lit up, "The Aerugian Alchemy!"

"Yeah!" Ed's grin widened lightly, "Plus, we have lots of things to tell each other, eh?"

Al tapped his chin, "We should go to the café and thank madam Ulmo."

"Pfft," Ed crossed his arms, "What for? She didn't do a thing to save our asses."

Suddenly, Lichbein cleared his throat and Ed glanced at him with doubt, "What?"

"I only want to wish you a good stay in Aerugo," he said soberly, "But I also want to wish that this journey will have a happy ending for the two of you." Slowly, he started walking away, followed by the two escorts.

"Hey, Lichbein!" Ed called, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You might want to talk to the inhabitants of this city before you begin an activity," he retorted. Ed opened his mouth. He couldn't say anything since someone approached Lichbein with a phone.

"It's General Avagart," the person said and with a nod, Lichbein took the phone. He walked off and the two brothers remained in front of the door, completely dumbfounded.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the rushed ending! I ran out of inspiration. This chapter introduced us a little to the military and judiciary system in Aerugo, but I promise things will get a lot better in future chapters. We'll get to the good parts. :P**

**Leave a review, will ya? :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Voiceless

**A/N: I think I'll be posting two chapters today, depending on my mood. Either way, here is the fifth chapter! I know, I know... you might be confused... Things will be explained, promise. Just be patient. I hope I didn't let anyone down with this story, but I'm trying my best.  
**

* * *

**:xx- CHAPTER V –xx:**

**[ voiceless ]**

* * *

~Edward's POV~

...

_Considering the past events, the Defense Department has started to patrol in the city, alongside the Intern Department._

Ed sighed, shifting the page of the newspaper. He ended up on an article about the monarchic family, which will be celebrated in small parades the whole week until some sort of carnival is going to take place. He took a sip from his cinnamon coffee and pursed his lips out, bored.

"Edward Elric!" madam Ulmo growled through her teeth, slamming a cane against the table.

Ed jumped from his seat, rapidly folding his newspaper and struggling to not hit his cup down on the floor. "Y-y-yes, sir- MADAM!" he crossed his arms in front of his head, "What is it, madam?!"

Holding an unlit cigar at the corner of her mouth, she leaned towards him, a suspicious look in her eyes. "Tell me…" she murmured darkly, "How much do you plan on keeping my table busy?"

Ed felt the need to cringe. He looked subtly at the clock and it was already 12 PM. "I, eh…" he stammered and started moving his hands around, "I just want to look around in the newspaper for a place to stay."

"Tch," she straightened her back and raised her shoulders, "I wouldn't call staying six months in Karma, with a permission to work, a punishment, really."

Ed leaned his elbow against the table and arched a brow, "Oh, but we're being suspected of spying. I don't think there's a better sentence."

There was a demonic flicker in her eyes before she responded coolly, "I would have picked your nails out one by one until you'd admit…"

_Oh…_Ed's expression froze. A chill ran up his spine and he turned into an ice statue that broke into tiny pieces. When he managed to pick himself up, he had to turn around, embracing himself and swinging back and forth, murmuring exorcism incantations under his breath.

With a snort, madam Ulmo started laughing, completely amused. She patted Ed's shoulder, but he was stiff enough to simply crash down on the floor at her touch, embracing his knees. "Lucky~!" she exclaimed, "I'm not a judge." She walked off with Ed's empty cup, while he remained like a rock on the ground.

_Pulling… nails… out…Pulling…nails… out…_He soon started rolling left and right, under the puzzled glances of the other people at the tables.

* * *

~Alphonse's POV~

…

It was decided that Ed would go at madam Ulmo's café, to try and convince her to land a hand when it came to employment or finding a place to stay. Well, to put things straight, Ed never really agreed to that, but he had to learn and cohabitate with the woman if they wanted to survive for this much.

Meanwhile, Al headed in the square, since he heard there was a large library somewhere in the zone. It was animated again, people seemed to have completely forgotten about the attacks. The fair was gone and, instead, people scattered into the many stores. It was quite exciting… as long as nobody was hungry.

Al pulled a face when his stomach growled. "Awh…" he grumbled and placed a hand on his tummy, "There should be some place to take something in here." He began inspecting the surroundings and fortunately he laid his eyes on a bakery, nicely decorated with flowers. A smile played his lips and, as he entered the bakery, he started searching through his pockets, calculating the money he had left.

There was no one behind the counter. Blinking, Al approached it and gently pressed his palm against the bell, "Um, excuse me…?"

"Yes, yes!" a voice chipped from the back. A woman soon skipped her way behind the counter, and there was a moment of dull staring one at another.

The woman… Al cleared his throat awkwardly. It was the woman who sold him the music box the day before, also the woman who almost married Ed to her niece.

"Oh, I know you!" she said with a smile.

Al sighed softly and responded to her smile, "Yeah, I see you remember me –"

"How's your brother?"

Al remained stunned for a brief moment, "He's… good."

She pressed her palms together and smiled, "Good, good!"

Another moment of awkward silence followed.

"Right!" she suddenly exclaimed and took a paper bag in her hand, "Do you want something?"

Al thanked the heavens that she decided to not mention any more of the marriage topic. With a nod, he pointed towards a freshly baked croissant. Humming a tune through her red lips, she slipped it into the bag and exchanged it for a certain sum of money.

"Thanks," Al said and sighed gently when she winked.

Then, he blinked. From distance, drums and whistles could be heard echoing. For a moment, he looked around the bakery, but it seemed that the noise came from outside. And it was getting closer.

"Sorry, I have to go," Al spun around on his toes and exited the store. People were leaving their respective places, all heading towards the same direction – a road decorated on both of its sides. The crowd was growing larger, so curiosity drew Al towards the same direction.

By the time he reached the gathering spot, his lips opened slightly as he stared at awe. It was a large platform, on wheels. It was escorted by four soldiers dressed in red, all riding white horses. On the platform- three thrones with puppets looking like some people and above them, there was apparently a radio through which a voice echoed.

"_Come and join your royal family into the ten days of celebration! Celebrate the days of our freedom, and then have fun at the carnival! This year is the 100th year since Aerugo was saved!"_

The voice switched to a high pitched female one.

"_Do not forget to buy tickets in time at the greatest event of the year- the Rolenquin 'Open Doors' ball!"_

Al frowned, following the slowly moving platform with his gaze. There were lots of movements around him, mostly the women seemed to boil with excitement. When he glanced to his left, he saw the woman at the bakery, looking at the platform with a grim look on her face.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly.

"Alphonse Elric."

"Alphonse," she turned towards him and smiled gently, "I think you've chosen a great period to visit Aerugo!"

Al blinked, a bit puzzled due to her sudden change of expressions. He decided to simply nod and accepted a flier from a child who started spreading them around. It was, too, an advertisement for the Carnival and that 'Open Doors' ball.

"Thank you," he said and stuffed it in his pocket, "But I don't think I'd have what to do at this ball…" He felt the need to slap his mouth. She quickly leaned in, her eyes sparkling into his.

"Don't worry! Who knows? Plus, if you don't have a date by then, just…" she winked again and handed him a blood red rose, "Just tell me and I'll lend you my niece's phone number!"

"I…" Al stammered for a brief moment, his eye twitching, "O-okay…"

She left and Al remained, since behind the large platform, a parade of military outfits began. He started inspecting the crowds, but his eyes stopped on a certain point. He jolted, but hesitated when he started heading there.

It was a gray haired man, with the tall hat on his head, and the round glasses on his nose.

"Judge Caiprin!" Al struggled to make his voice heard, but the drums, the recording from the radio and the voices of the people didn't help him at all. He took in some air and tried again, "Judge Caiprin!"

Finally, Caiprin turned around. Al wiped a grin on his face, his hand rising up.

That was when, after a thud sound, the crowds got engulfed in purple smoke. Al drew his hand back and turned around when the crowds gasped. He frowned, avoiding moving away. Another similar sound was heard and the cloud of smoke grew thicker. He put a hand over his nose and mouth, but since he didn't hear any coughs, he realized afterward that it was pointless.

_What's going on? Those rebels again? _Al wondered and narrowed his eyes, when he realized that the cloud had isolated him completely from the rest of the people. He looked up, right in that moment; several shadowed figures crossed the sky. The recording from the radio stopped and so did the music.

"Hello, hello!" it was an unnaturally deep voice, which silenced the panicked crowds. It made Al wonder whether that voice was the real one, but no, most likely it had been modified somehow. Frustrated, Al started fluttering his arm, trying to wipe away the purple smoke. It started dissipating and he could now see the shape of the platform, with a moving figure on top of it.

"You may wonder who we are," the person said and began waltzing around on the platform, "We are not your average system-angered-rebelling-crowds. You see, it is pointless to create violence within the citizens. We are not the guilty ones –"

He was cut off when some people protested, starting to throw different objects into the platform. He sighed in the microphone – Al wasn't sure where it came from – and decided to move on. He reached one of the thrones and flicked the puppet off, taking its place.

"You must be so tired of all those armed conflicts, I know."

The voices started to fade, the majority of people starting to pay attention.

He continued, "We represent reality. What are those foolish 'protestants' fighting for? They want what? Some old people spread some rumors and now they only cause panic among the normal, confused citizens. We, on the hand, realize that violence is not a solution."

Al was focused on the scene when he started feeling a peculiar movement in the area of his jacket's pocket. He quickly swung his head around, but the masked person had already pulled out his wallet out of the pocket. Al cringed, patting searching his pockets when the thief took off.

"Hey!" Al cried out and chased after the thief, pushing the different people out of his way, "Watch out everyone, it's a scam! They're pick-pocketing!" The crowd gasped again. Before he entered an alley, the last thing he heard was the person from the platform breathing out an, "Oops."

"Come back!" Al hissed through his teeth, hardly keeping up with the thief who just wouldn't keep a straight directions – he or she kept turning left and right, also forcing Al to jump over different obstacles, "I need those! I've just obtained a permission stay!"

They exited the alley and Al realized that they were in the zone of Café D'Ulmo.

Al took in a deep breath. He stopped for a moment and clapped his hands, pressing them against the ground. All he did was create a small bump in the ground, but the thief fell for it. Literally. Grunting and gasping, he – since Al judged by the voice – tumbled over with a thud. Just then, Ed stormed out.

"Al?" Ed grumbled and Al struggled to regain his breath, "Jeez, what is it now?"

The two jolted since the thief immediately shot back up to his feet. Al groaned, "Come on!"

Then the earth shook underneath their feet. With wide eyes, Ed was pushed down by a fuming madam Ulmo. She cracked her knuckles once and leaped towards the thief. It all happened in a second: she grabbed his arm, kicked in his ankle and flicked him over her shoulder. He hit the ground with a grunt and she pinned him down quickly.

"You little…" she growled lowly. The thief started kicking from his legs, quickly tossing Al's wallet aside. "Let me go, let me go!"

Al slid next to Ed, who was blinking rapidly.

"Hey, Brother…"

"Yeah, Al…?"

"Am I the only one who has a déjà vu?"

Ed shook his head vehemently and they both gulped, exclaiming in tandem.

"Teacher!"

"She's like Teacher!"

Madam Ulmo was still wrestling the thief down and she managed to convince him to give up everything that he had taken. "How many times do I have to tell you?!" she yelled out, "There are no thieves allowed in _my _café!"

"S-sorry! Ouch, ouch! Hey!" he whined out, but suddenly he managed to flick her off and he jumped up, slipping off the mask to reveal a pretty red face – much because of the effort – and an angered expression, "What was that for?! My back hurts!"

He was a boy, didn't seem older than 20, with ruffled dirty blond hair and madam Ulmo's black eyes, except his were a bit larger.

"Idiot!" madam Ulmo slammed her foot against the ground and the streets emptied, "Didn't I tell you to quit that gang of yours?!"

He protested innocently, with a pout, "But I did!"

"Idiot!" she repeated the move, "You weren't supposed to join another one!"

"Hey, um…" Al interfered hesitatingly, "Can I have my wallet back?"

Madam Ulmo flicked it towards him with her foot then approached the two brothers, followed by the boy. "Sorry about that, Alphonse…" she murmured and sent a chilling glare towards the one who stole the wallet, "He's my imbecile of a son, Cedric."

Ed blinked, "Son…?"

The word echoed in Al's head, too. Judging by Ed's expression, it seemed that they both found it impossible that a person like her would be able to reproduce. Then again, it didn't necessary have to be willing on both sides.

Out of nowhere, Charlotte joined them and she hit the top of Cedric's head with a newspaper, a dull expression on her face.

He knitted his brows and rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry, Charlotte… I know that I promised."

She folded her arms over her chest and shook her head, disapprovingly. He sighed. But suddenly, his face lit up and he turned to look at Al with a silly grin on his face. "Hey, you! You can perform Alchemy, right?"

Al nodded, feeling a dark aura from Ed's direction, who started sulking. "Yeah," Al said, a bit surprised by Cedric's suddenly friendly approach, especially considering the event that had just occurred less than five minutes ago.

"Wicked!" Cedric exclaimed, "It's great that we finally have someone to talk to!"

Madam Ulmo twitched, a grave expression appearing on her face, "Cedric, stop it, you –"

"Maybe you could tell us what went wrong with the Human Transmutation."

It was silence. Ed frowned, staring grimly at the clueless Cedric, the stunned Charlotte and the boiling madam Ulmo. Closing her eyes shortly, Charlotte proceeded to walk back into the café. Ed turned around quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her gently.

"Wait a minute…" he looked at her seriously, "Charlotte… you're… mute, aren't you?"

Al looked then at Cedric, who placed a palm over his mouth, "I… oops, sorry about that… I had no idea –"

"Shut up, Cedric!" madam Ulmo gritted her teeth. Al turned back towards the café when he heard the door slam and he saw Charlotte fading off in the distance, as well as Ed with his head bowed down.

"Brother…?" Al asked quietly, "Do you think that this is the reason why…?" He was abruptly pushed aside by madam Ulmo, who opened the door like a storm, shoving Cedric inside by his collar. She didn't look at them, not even once.

"You boys should leave…" she said grimly.

"Oi!" Ed jumped in, "We understand, it's fine. We just want to know more about your Alchemy –"

"No!" she merely pressed her fingers against the door, her back trembling lightly, "You wouldn't understand… Even with your past, the brothers who lost a body and respectively an arm and a leg when they attempted to see their mother's smile again…"

Al rapidly placed a hand on Ed's shoulder, who was trembling as well – just like madam Ulmo, because of the anger boiling inside.

"Sorry," she said flatly, "It wasn't your fault. Good luck finding a place to stay at."

And then she slammed the door and also covered the windows with curtains. It was silent. Al was unsure of what to do next, but Ed stuffed his hands in his pockets and began walking away. Al held out a hand, "Hey… maybe we can talk her out of it."

"There's something fishy going on, Al," Ed said and looked up, clouds moving quickly on the azure sky, "Nobody wants us to study the local Alchemy. There are no references anywhere of a place which keeps Alchemy books."

Al thought it over, "Maybe there is no local Alchemy?"

"Possibly. But I know what I want to do- I have to talk to General Asshole."

* * *

**A/N: Seems like the Elric's are really popular with women nowadays, eh? ;) LOL, well, next chapter will include some information on what Ed and Al did during their solo journeys! Also, Mustang will be in it, yay! **

**Interactive question time: which OC do you like most so far? What do you think I could work with most? Impressions, impressions, please!  
**

**And leave a review, so you you will get... a cyber hug from Ed!  
**

**ED: Whoa! Don't I have a say in this?  
**


	6. Chapter 6: Behind Stars

**A/N: I know! It might seem like nothing actually happens... I know there's not too much action, but things have to build up a little bit, they can't just happen out of nowhere. This is what this chapter did. Agh and my apologies! ^^" I know that I promised a chapter with 'Elric tales', but I dragged it on. Probably next chapter. :D**

**Anyway, go on and read! I hope you like it. :)**

**P.S. I tried a new formatting, let's see how this works.**

* * *

**:xx- CHAPTER VI –xx:**

**[ behind stars ]**

* * *

~Edward's POV~

"Oh, man…" Ed rolled a coin into the insertion zone of the phone. With his brows twitching constantly, he dialed the number, and then closed his eyes, grumbling under his breath. No, he did _not _like the sound of this.

"Hello, Central Command," came a female voice from the other side of the line.

"Yeah, this is Edward Elric, previously the Fullmetal Alchemist. I need to talk to Col- er, General Mustang. The access code is lime-car-zero-zero-magnolia-peach."

As the woman told him to wait, he started wondering why he got stuck with such a stupid code. It took some time and he could imagine that it was Mustang's fault, since he was probably keeping the line busy while rambling to his girlfriends. Well, they weren't real girlfriends…

"Yo, Fullmetal!"

Ed cringed, pressing a hand against his forehead, "What kept you so long, damn it…?"

Mustang mused an 'hmm', his typical sounds, and it made Ed want to slam the phone. "Are you in a rush, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked and Ed could hear the sound of his chair creaking as he probably leaned against it.

"I told you, quit calling me Fullmetal," Ed said lowly but quickly brushed the topic aside as he took out a paper from his pocket, "Look, I'm stuck in Aerugo, Karma City. It's a long story, but –"

"I know."

Ed blinked. A smirk rose over his lips, "You just know it all, eh?"

"You might be retired, but you're part of the military's archives. We can't just let you skip around, causing trouble," he sighed towards the end.

"It's not like I'd do that!" Ed protested.

"Oh, is that so?" he paused to take a sip from a drink and Ed felt his patience being cut short, "Then how come you've been arrested?"

Ed narrowed his eyes, "I told you. It's a long story." Then he heard Mustang put his cup down quite impatiently.

Then, in a grim tone, Mustang asked, "What do you want?"

Ed allowed a sigh to escape his lips. Finally, he'd got to that part. He wished that it wouldn't take too long, that he didn't have to convince Mustang for hours to do that 'favor'.

He leaned against a pole and crossed his legs, "I want you to give me a reason to join Aerugo's army."

* * *

~Alphonse's POV~

…

The sky was a mix of violet, orange and dark blue. It was that time of the day when both the sun and the moon were up, but not completely. Al sighed softly and pressed his lips in a tight line as he watched Ed's squirming figure, in a phone booth not too far away. Al remained in front of the café, which had closed earlier that day, and was currently sitting on the one stair at the entrance.

He glanced down and noticed the bag with the things he had bought- the croissant, a bottle of water and then, there was the rose that the woman had given him as an attempt to seduce him into dating her niece. He picked it up and started twirling it between his fingers.

"Maybe I should give it to her…?" he wondered and knitted his brows.

A scene played in his head where madam Ulmo strangulated him for trying to 'blackmail' her with a flower. He shuddered. Probably he shouldn't.

The streets were empty, so it made it easy for Al to hear the slightest creak. In this case, it was the sound of an opening window, above his head. He glanced up curiously, blinking. It was Charlotte, who now pulled the curtains away from the window. She leaned against the edge and gazed absently at the sky, until her eyes met Al's.

Rather sheepishly, he waved a hand, but she retreated without a word, closing the window behind her. Al sighed, shaking his head. It's not like he was the one to say or do anything…

However, much to his surprise, he had to sit up rapidly when he heard the click of the café's door opening. He tumbled back a few steps, almost ready to defend himself in front of a much possibly violent madam Ulmo. But all he saw was Charlotte's petite figure, next to the frame of the door.

He looked at her meekly, moving the rose behind him, "Hi."

She simply eyed him, in a way that made him check whether there was something on his face, until her face lit up in a small smile. She wiggled from her fingers and held out a cup of milk, signaling towards him to take it.

"Oh!" Al exclaimed and looked at her, with uncertainty, "I'm fine, I –" Charlotte frowned and he gave in, taking the warm cup. For a moment, he remained unmoved, unsure of what to do next. He stretched out the rose towards the girl, "Put it in a vase, it's a pity if it rots."

Charlotte pressed a palm against her chest and fluttered her eyelashes, with doubt.

"Yeah," Al chuckled, "It's for _you. _Thanks for the milk."

She grabbed it with her slim, long fingers and started swinging around on her feet, sniffing it gently. Since Al was still looking at her, though it wasn't a willing action, she found the opportunity to mimic a 'you're welcome', readable on her light pink lips. Al flinched, a dust of pink brushing his cheeks, and he unlocked his gaze away from her.

But since he did that, she had to approach him and tug to his sleeve to grab his attention. When she did that, he pressed a palm to his forehead, "A-ah! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot, I mean, I…" She shook her head and, arranging her dress, she sat down on the stair, with Al remaining stiff in a sitting position.

He looked at her from the corners of his eyes and there was a content smile on her face. It made a feeling of joy burst into his chest and he couldn't put his finger on it. Charlotte Ulmo was a girl with no voice, with burdens to carry on her back, but at that moment she was the girl who gazed at the flickering stars.

Just like Al had once been the boy with no body, with burdens on his back, who occasionally looked at the stars.

The same stars she looked at.

* * *

~Edward's POV~

…

Ed sighed heavily, returning to the café with a hand stuck deep into his jacket's pocket. "Damn that guy… of all the people, he had to send me to Lichbein," he grumbled as he approached the café, rubbing at the back of his head.

He just had to sigh again, "And I'm _not _talking to him through the phone –" He blinked.

Al was sitting down, next to Charlotte. She was pointing up at the sky with a rose and he followed her hand movements with his jaw dropped.

Ed placed his hands on his hips, "Al?"

Al blinked and then sat up quickly, "Brother! What did you do?"

Ed scanned Charlotte, who had bowed her head, but brushed it off in the end.

"Well… like I _said, _the General passed me on to Lichbein. That's all that he said," Ed replied and decided to sit down himself, stretching as he did so. He waved a hand quickly, "Hey, Charlotte."

"By the way," Al said suddenly and Ed immediately disliked the tone that he used, "Can you tell me what happened to your Alchemy?"

Ed was tempted to give Charlotte a suggestive look, as in to shun her away, but she couldn't do much harm. Plus, he had the feeling that Al would hate his guts if he did that.

"It's not a big deal," Ed breathed out as Al sat back down, "I simply didn't find any way to perform Alchemy without a gate."

Al blinked, "For real?"

"Is there something like that in Xing?" Ed asked, struggling to sound a tiny bit hopeful.

Al bowed his head, "…Not that I know of."

The other sighed, cupping his knees with his hands, "Then I guess I'm about to reach a last resort, huh… Maybe I can't get it back –"

"Don't say that!"

Ed blinked, puzzled.

"You never said that when it came to our bodies, right?" Al had a determined flare in his eyes, "It should be a lot easier to get your Alchemy back than your leg, right?"

Ed processed his brother's words and eventually let out a short nod, "Yeah… I guess that's true. I will enroll the army and I'll have access to some Alchemy archives or notes."

"You're wrong," Al interfered and smiled, "_We _are going to enroll the army."

* * *

~Lichbein's POV~

…

"This would be the last one, sir."

Lichbein nodded, holding out his hand and then clutching his fingers around the file he had received from one of his officers. He opened it and a frown fell on his face.

"Where should I put it, sir?" the officer inquired.

Lichbein closed the folder and placed a stamp on it before he pushed it aside. "In the E drawer. E for Elric."

He flinched out of his chair, a hazard sounding from the other side of the door. Quickly, he stood up, right in the moment when the door of his office slammed open. With her arms folded over her chest, madam Ulmo stormed inside and she was followed by three petty and confused officers.

"Our apologies, sir!" one of them whimpered, referring to the currently unsuccessful attempts of stopping the woman from breaking in.

She hissed through her teeth and slammed her palms against the office, sending flames out of her eyes. "Lichbein, you imbecile!" she fumed.

One of the officers suddenly remembered that he had a gun. His fingers merely twitched when madam Ulmo shot an electric glare towards his direction.

Lichbein sighed, "Pardon me?"

She snorted, her knuckles turning white as she pressed against the office. "You fool, quit your annoying acts! What did you tell those boys?"

He blinked, "The Elric brothers?"

"Obviously."

There was a moment of silence. "I did exchange a few words with them…" he replied, clueless.

Her eye twitched before she straightened herself, throwing daggers down at the male who was just a tiny bit shorter than he was. "The older one suspected something."

"Hmm?" Lichbein mused, "He found out?"

Blood rushed up to her head, since the woman's face turned red in anger, "It would have been even more troublesome if he did!"

"Oh," Lichbein tried his best to process the information, but madam Ulmo's words seemed too twisted and apparently they required to be deciphered. "I'm sorry, what is it that you want?"

With a sigh, she sat down slowly, crossing her legs. "He read newspapers, borrowed books, talked to people… there is no method that he hadn't tried to find a way to stick his nose in our Alchemy."

"What are you implying?"

Her eyes shot wider for a moment, only so she would narrow them, in a persuasive way. "What did you tell them?"

He blinked. "I told them to not study it."

"Gah!" she slapped her forehead, the three officers twitching and nearly stretching out towards their weapons, "Of course they'd do exactly the opposite!"

"Alma…" he said soberly, "I have to repeat myself: what is it that you want?"

She leaned over the desk, slamming her elbow against it, "You have to rush the investigations of the riots and _that _incident. They need to face the Emergency Court again, be free and then leave this damn country!"

It didn't take Lichbein too long to reply, "I can't do that."

"Then have someone else do it!"

He maintained his calm, "It's not in my Department's power."

"_Then _pass it on to the Defense Department."

"They are the ones who investigate –"

"Then talk to Avagart."

There was a moment of silence. Lichbein eyed madam Ulmo dully and now she was glancing to her left, her nose wrinkled lightly. Speaking that name was like poison on her tongue.

"I will not involve the General in this," Lichbein said as he took a seat at the office.

Suddenly, madam Ulmo shot up to her feet, quickly turning around and leaving Lichbein to face her back. "I wasn't really expecting you to want to do it…" she murmured, "But I will find a way myself."

"Make sure it's not illegal," he remarked and she snorted. "But do tell me, what is it that makes you so anxious about two brothers studying local Alchemy? Maybe they'll find a way to give it back to us, share it to the world."

She rotated her head slowly, her fists clenching. "This is…" there was a grim look in her eyes, "This is exactly what I'm fearing."

* * *

**A/N: Okay! Like I said, things have to start building. Madam Ulmo is afraid of something, uh-oh! What could it be, huh, huh, huhhhhh? Well, 'til next chapter everyone! **

**Your reviews are truly appreciated and they keep me going, so thank you!**

**Now... Ed?**

**ED: *Flinches.***

**...We promised something, remember?**

**ED: *Looks away.* ...Damn you. *He sighs and opens his arms.* Everyone who reviewed, get in line... *Starts hugging them one by one.***

**Ta-da! :D **


	7. Chapter 7: Bonfire

**A/N: First of all, it's been a while, I know. I've been away to my grandma's and didn't have the inspiration to write more. Now I did... And, to be honest, I feel like this is my most successful piece of writing so far. I just like the way words and events flowed. I am proud of this chapter and I hope you will enjoy it, too. Secondly, I have to let you know that you need to expect later on a slightly darker Ed, because this is the way Ed is in this chapter and I like writing him this way. Last, but not least, I want to publicly thank LeFay Strent - whose story I love - for reviewing and leaving some constructive criticism. I'll be more careful with the setting and the way action events happen from now on, thus I'll just leave out confusing details.  
**

**OK, I'm done... On with the show!  
**

* * *

**:xx- CHAPTER VII -xx:**

**[ bonfire ]**

Ed could have sworn that he had just been woken up from a nightmare. He sat down on the bed from the motel that he and Al crashed at for the time being. He didn't remember anything. Not a single detail. But his chest was bursting with ragged breathing and his fingers were dug into his sheets tightly. His shaky orbs rolled down towards his own hands and swallowed what felt like a cobble that scratched against his throat. Puzzled he blinked several times and closed his eyes halfway as he glanced at his moving fingers.

"What was that about…?" he whispered to himself and looked up towards Al's bed. It was empty. And it was… a bit too well lit up. Blinking swiftly, Ed glanced at the window. The glass was covered in flickers of dancing lights.

"Huh? Al?" Ed mused and brushed aside his condition as he made his way out of the bed. He exhaled a breeze of air and arched a brow at the neatly arranged bed. And then his attention dropped on the window again. Some sort of light reflected into it and it was moving, flickering…

With a frown, Ed approached the window and tilted his head. Behind the building facing the motel, he could see the smoke and the dancing flames of a fire. His teeth pressed together and his head jerked towards the door. A fire?! There was a fire in the town?!

It wasn't his business, but the thought was disturbing indeed. And where did Al run off to? Ed numbly approached his bed again and narrowed his eyes at the clock. It was midnight. He shuddered and realized that he wasn't really willing to go back to sleep again, not after _something _woke him up in silent screams.

Quickly – since he was used to fast preparation since the time he had been in army – he dressed himself up with some black pants and a black, long sleeved blouse which left some bare space around his shoulders. Lastly, he slipped his feet into a pair of boots and covered himself up with a dark red coat. It wasn't the same coat, obviously. Especially since it wasn't hooded.

Midnight? He flicked his hair up in a ponytail. Seemed like an opportune moment for a walk around the town.

After a slow paced walk of about five minutes, Ed reached the source of the flame-light. He stopped abruptly near the building and his mouth opened, hanging like that.

A controlled fire of about 2-3 meters stood in the middle of a little square, with a handful of people gathered around it. It wasn't a party, since they weren't exactly moving. They simply sat down. Ed blinked quickly at the base of the fire, noticing what seemed like the objects that were lit for a flame to ignite.

"Edward?" a voice startled the boy from behind.

Ed twirled around and his face cringed instantly with displease. "You… You're that guy."

Cedric was still waving towards the blond, a silly grin written on his face. "I suppose I deserve that, huh?"

"Actually, you deserve more," Ed remarked spitefully.

"You're so harsh, yet you don't even know what living with Madam feels like…"

Ed crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Madam? She's your mother."

"Well, let's just say that the term 'mother' is a bit too… intimate to be used with her," Cedric commented as he sipped from a bottle some sort of red drink; most likely wine.

"Not having a good relation with her?" Ed questioned, intrigued. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to have a bad relationship with his mother. It was surreal.

Cedric was frozen for a second, focusing on something else in distance. His response was muffled as he rose a hand and started waving, "Euphemistically speaking."

Ed opened his mouth when he felt several people bump into him and pound on him. He cringed and flailed his arms around, jumping away in a defensive stance. And now he faced a group of about four people who were giggling at nothing in particular.

Ed frowned, "'The hell are you trying to do?!"

"Oh, calm down…" a girl purred.

Some boy nudged Cedric, wiggling his eyebrows, "Did you bring this guy over? He's so stoic and sober."

"Excuse me?" Ed raised his arms and blinked bewildered, "Did you just say that I'm too serious?"

"Yes," another girl said and frowned deeply, puckering her lips out, "Look at this face of yours, looking so grim. And the way you jumped all 'aaah!'"

All broke into a fit of laughter as Ed stood there, puzzled. Suddenly, he snorted, his chin rising. "I just may have other methods of 'having fun', with don't involve getting drunk and eventually sleeping on a sideway."

"Ouch, hey Edward!" Cedric puffed a snicker, "We're not doing that. It's just an innocent party."

"Party?" Ed looked suspicious at the very least, "This looks a bit too static for a party."

And then silence engulfed the group. It made Ed feel rather awkward for a reason or another. And he even wanted to somehow pull at Cedric for a few more details regarding this whole 'human transmutation' suspicion.

"Ah! Hey!" one of the girls squealed. Ed jolted, his eyes landing on her right when she was snatched away by a strange man. Obviously, she didn't seem to like it and – both out of instinct and actual wish to show off, Ed leaped towards the man, grabbed his upper arm and twisted it away from the girl who jumped off, rubbing at her arm.

"You did not receive an invitation, I suppose?" Ed muttered darkly, keeping a tight grip on the man who struggled to get out of the situation. Among the many things that Ed disliked, perverts held a high spot on his list since forever.

"H-hey, what's wrong with you?! I was just having some fun, heh… heh…" he gulped and the girl pouted, "It wasn't fun! You'll leave a bruise on my hand!"

Just as the man was pulling harder, a devious smirk stretched on Ed's face. And poof! He let go of his arm and the man crashed on the ground with a thud.

Ed cleared his throat, pretending to wipe off nonexistent dust from his shoulder. "You're welcome, my lady…" he said in a smooth voice. It seemed to work on the drunk girls, who started cheering up for his success, but the sober ones were simply crept out by his attempt at coolness.

Cedric leaped forward and grabbed Ed's shoulders tightly, looking him in the eye with seriousness. "You have to go back now, alright?"

Ed blinked, drawing his head backwards, "Huh? What are you talking abo-"

"Just go, Edward. We're the group of young bastards who do all kinds of illegal things, including this party. The Intern Corpse is coming."

Ed gulped, the light of the flames disappearing under the sound of a fire dried out by water. The streets were once more engulfed in nothing but the dim light of the moon and, once in a while, by flickering poles of light. Numbly, Ed retreated and with every step he took towards the motel, he left behind the scenery of the bonfire.

...

"Where have you been, Brother?!"

"Where _I _have been?!" Ed huffed, "Your bed was neatly arranged in the middle of the night!"

"I just left to get a cup of milk! I couldn't sleep, okay."

Ed cringed, "Ugh, that is so not worth getting out of the bed…"

The two Elric brothers stared at each other with suspicion. Just communicating through looks, they decided to leave the topic aside. It was already noon, since Ed had overslept. When he had returned to the motel, apparently Al was back in his room, but Ed collapsed on his bed the moment he entered through the door.

"Has any notification from the army come?" Al asked as he arranged the collar of his white shirt.

Ed huffed, "No, apparently they need to look over our applications and whatnot… It might take a week or two." He shrugged and exited the room, followed by Al, and headed in the breakfast lounge downstairs. On his way towards the table, he snatched a newspaper from the counter.

And he froze.

Al was already near his chair. He stopped and stammered upon seeing the paleness from Ed's cheeks. "Brother? What is it? Are you alright?" He quickly walked over and pulled the newspaper towards himself.

'_Four Teenagers Murdered At Bonfire Party, Last Night'_

Al cringed, his jaw hanging open, "Oh, gosh…"

"Al…" Ed mused absently and hurtled the newspaper on the ground, "I've been at this 'party' last night."

"What? How did you…" Al cut himself off, realizing that it probably wasn't a vital information. He gulped, "You've met these people?"

"I have…" Ed had a harsh look fixed upon the ground, "And I've met this _asshole _as well…" And then, both of their eyes fell on the photograph of the main suspect. A suspect, with a bandaged shoulder.

...

"I should have just ripped his damn arm off," Ed hissed through his teeth, getting a look of half disapproval from Al. After some time of pondering about, they've decided to go to the Capitol and have Ed make some declarations about last night. Due to Ed's fast pace, they've reached the steps of the Capitol in basically no time. But Ed couldn't proceed any further, when Al slid in front of him, with a grim look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Al inquired.

"No," Ed retorted dryly.

"I'm not talking about this situation, but about how you generally feel," Al sighed.

Sighing, Ed lowered his forehead into his palm and, a bit more helpless, gave the same answer, "No."

"You look like a train, fuming around. You have to calm down."

Was it really like that? Ed stared at his brother, awed. He'd been rather anxious since the previous night, when he woke up from a nightmare he couldn't remember. Even so, there was this feeling that haunted him and gave him the urge to constantly run away. Should he tell Al about it?

"I had a nightmare," Ed gave in.

"What about?"

"I don't know," Ed frowned, "Can't remember."

"But it's following you around, right?" Al tilted his head and Ed's lips moved, stammering slightly. He just nodded afterwards and, with a smile, Al patted his back a few times, making him swing back and forth for a few moments. "It'll be gone, just calm down. You're agitated by nature, if this nightmare fuels to it, we're all doomed."

"Aw, is this what you think about me?" Ed protested with a snort and finally proceeded to climb the stairs up after Al allowed him to. But then, he stopped again.

"Move out of the way! It's an emergency!"

Steps rushed from behind them and as soon as Ed flicked his head around, he was bumped out of the way by a large group of Intern Department armed soldiers who rushed towards the entrance. Ed looked at Al and they both blinked confused.

"You'd better want to step aside, Elric brothers," it was Lichbein's voice and it gave an instant impulse to Ed's muscles which made his eyebrow twitch.

"What's happening?" Al questioned, furrowing his brows.

With a hail, the officers knocked the door down, which apparently had been locked, and immediately stormed inside. At the same time, groups of panicked civil people rushed out, pushing and bumping and tripping.

Lichbein's phone rang and he answered it, "We got inside. Make sure you've escorted- What?! He has a hostage?!"

Ed twitched, "Oi! What are you talking about?"

"Stay aside, I told you."

"Who the hell ever said that we'd want to burst inside?!"

"It is absolutely predictable."

Ed bit his bottom lip furiously. However, Lichbein's reply was surprising, "This morning we have arrested the suspect for the four murders which I know you're aware of. He currently managed to escape his escorts and he is inside, holding a hostage. Now, if you excuse me, I have to proceed with the evacuation."

"That…!" Al jolted, but Lichbein walked off, continuing his phone conversation.

"Hey, Al…" Ed muttered. Al blinked. "Do you feel like playing the hero?" Al's mouth hung open, while Ed's was covered with a glistening grin. It couldn't keep Al from snorting a snicker.

They have agreed to enter the building through a window, so they could avoid knocking into the officers who tried to locate the culprit. First Al, and then Ed, they slid inside, into an empty hallway with nothing but a broken door swinging numbly along the movements of the air currents.

"Brother… Did this guy really seem so dangerous that it required an entire troop of armed soldiers to search for him?" Al questioned silently.

"Or to be able to escape those escorts…" Ed continued, slowly shaking his head, "He was a moron. I couldn't imagine him being capable of running along the pavement without tripping, let alone murder four people."

Al pressed his lips together, forming a line on his face.

Ed frowned, "Where the heck did we end up in?"

Al skewed his head and approached a billboard. "Apparently we are in the Mail Services section…"

"Mail Services?" Ed lifted a brow and shrugged, rotating his head, "It looks like someone's delivered a blow to the door, huh?" He walked towards the room the broken door barely hung on to, but was startled by an alarmed voice which started echoing in the whole building.

'_Attention! Retreat your troops! I repeat, retreat your troops! Please, retreat, stand by and await the arrival of the Defense Department! The building will be shut down until further notice! Do not stay inside, we have been informed that the suspect is armed and has allies!'_

Ed took a rushed step forward. "Say what?"

Al twitched, "Brother, we'll be locked in!"

The two turned around on their toes, but it was too late. As alarms started ringing, shaking the walls, they helplessly watched as the window they'd just come through was being sealed, with a strong creaking noise. The same noise, together will the sound of iron slamming against concrete, was through the whole building. When everything went silent, everything went dark as well.

* * *

**A/N: Now is your turn. Do you share my opinion? Did I improve something this chapter? I'd really like to know, so I can focus contently on the plot. Leave a review and Ed with shirtless hug you!**

**Ed: Oh, man! *facepalm*  
**


	8. Chapter 8: Supreme Defense

**A/N: I only want to say that I know that I do some grammar mistakes. It's only natural. But I do want to improve, thus I'd like to filter my chapters through a Beta Reader! If anyone is willing to help me with my little story, drop a PM if you like, please. :) On another note, this whole scene turned out longer than I expected, so I left some things out of this chapter and I will add them to the next one. **

* * *

**:xx-CHAPTER VIII-xx:**

**[ supreme defense ]**

'The building is now sealed.'

"I can definitely see that," Ed commented. There was a feeling of anxiety which pressed down his shoulders, his fingers twitching once or twice, in lack of control. He narrowed his eyes, letting them roam the surroundings, in a hopeful attempt to get his eyes to focus on something, anything, in that darkness. He heard a footstep.

"Al, you're still here, right?"

"Yeah," Al replied lowly. He sounded as if he was too afraid to speak any louder, because something might shatter. "What are we going to do now?"

"Hmm," Ed took a hand up and placed it underneath his chin. In the darkness, he began to distinguish the shape of the door, which stopped swinging in lack of air currents. "We might want to get out of here before the Defense Department bursts in. Or before we die because there's no oxygen."

Al sighed, "Why did we even come here in the first place?"

Ed smirked, "Because I wanted to kick that guy's ass."

"Oh, yes. Of course."

And then, Ed started processing his location. He had absolutely no idea where this Mail Service room was located, compared to that round hallway with the judging rooms. He didn't know how close or far the culprit was or how they could get to the main entrance.

"This is hopeless," Ed breathed out, pressing his palm over his forehead, "We can only wander around and see what we bump in."

"Right," Al cut himself off abruptly, his voice ringing with eagerness, "Hey, Brother, I need to show you something awesome."

Ed cocked an eyebrow, puckering his lips, "Something awesome? What is it?"

"It's something I've learned in Xing."

And Ed twitched. Oh, it was too obvious. It was Alchemy related. Couldn't Al be a little more careful on his choice of words? Alchemy was 'awesome' by itself, so when he came with something like that… No, Ed wasn't upset that he'd lost his alchemic abilities, not at all. It wasn't like he'd spent the following months, after the events with Father, reading about every book in Amestris that could help him.

He lost his track of thoughts when a ray of blue lightning flashed across the wall where the billboard was hung on, lighting up for a brief moment. And then, in simultaneity, torches popped up from place to place on the walls. The thing was, they weren't torches lit with fire, they had lightbulbs instead.

Now Ed managed to see Al clearly as he was smiling with pride.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed snorted and turned around, fuming when he heard Al's chuckles in the background, "You are too cool to be true. Actually, can't you just unseal the doors and windows?"

"I've tried that before, it doesn't work."

Ed glanced from the corners of his eyes at the window covered by an iron barrier, "They are Alchemy protected, huh."

And then he heard a shot, followed by a crash.

"What was that?" Ed jumped.

"There's no one supposed to be in here."

Ed's eyebrows furrowed in a frown, his focus being on his listening. "No one but us, the criminal and his hostages…" Ed murmured and exchanged intuitive gazes with Al. Ed heard, and so did Al, that as he was about to be judged, the criminal had somehow managed to unarm his escorts and took one or more hostages afterwards. The problem was they didn't know the room.

Ed watched as Al bit his lip, with frustration. He knew that they both thought that they needed to help the people held hostages, but it could be dangerous in more than one way, and also help was on its way.

"Al," Ed sighed."

"We have to get out."

"Yeah, I know."

"Let's go look for an exit."

"And if we interrupt the 'trial' by accident… too bad."

…

Ed started with slow steps, taken swiftly on his toes. He stretched out his fingers and pressed them against the door. It was silent, too very silent, and it gave him that childhood feeling. He felt like when he was little, afraid to open the door of his closet, afraid that something might pop out of its darkness and hurt him.

After some time of wandering about, Ed and Al managed to find their way into the round hallway where they had been taken before the trial. Ed created a mental map of the Capitol so far: there was the main entrance and a long, straight hallway stretched from it. At the end of that hallway, stood the other hallway- round, with ten doors filling it in.

He felt his entire body tremble when a crash made the ground tremble underneath his feet. It was his instinct that pulled Ed out of the way, making him avoid the pieces that had hit the wall, after they'd exploded out of the ground.

"Al!" the other joined his side quickly, Ed having to put a hand on the wall to keep him from falling over.

Next to the door he had been in front of, there was a thin cloud of dust which resulted from the shattered floor. And he distinguished a figure underneath that layer of dust- average height, black clothes and a black mask to cover the face… judging by stature, it seemed like a male.

"What are you doing here?" the voice definitely belonged to a male.

"I'd ask you the same thing, man," Ed wiped a smirk on his face, his brow twitching lightly, "You jump down and end up destroying the floor? Whoa."

He took a step forward. Ed pulled a step back, his fingers gathering into fists at his sides.

"Hmm, I've seen you two brats before," the stranger commented.

"Brother…!" Al gasped and Ed blinked, "I've seen him before! He was part of that group of thieves."

"The gang that Cedric is part of?" Ed inquired, keeping a close eye on the one dressed in black, who was kicking pebbles around against walls.

"There's no doubt then," he said and skewed his head abruptly, in a manner that made him look as his head was just about to fall off, "You are those two foreign alchemists."

"Can't a person travel the world without being chased by death wishes?" Ed huffed with a jerking movement of his head, his blond locks swaying over his forehead for a moment.

"Did I say I had a death wish for you?" the other retorted, spreading his arms open.

Ed opened his mouth -

"I didn't say otherwise either."

There was a sound resembling a howl coming from his direction. And for a second, as he leaped backwards, Ed could catch a glimpse of what looked like the shine of claws stretching at the tips of his fingers. And then he headed towards him, in a flash.

He was fast. Very fast.

The only way Ed could avoid the claws that lunged at him was to fall down on his back, on a pile of rubble. When that didn't seem to stop the attacker, he resorted to raising his prosthetic leg, which clashed against the claws with an iron-on-iron screeching noise. The impact nearly pulled Ed's leg up at a 90 degrees level. Instead of retreating, the attacker simply added more force into his hand and put more pressure in pushing against his auto-mail.

"Agh, damn it…!" Ed hissed through his teeth as he slowly began to slide against the ground. The auto-mail was making strange noises and he started fearing that it would crumble under the applied force.

He was fortunately saved by a wall which Al had created underneath the man's feet, whom was forced to jump backwards in order to avoid it. Taking the opportunity, Ed jumped back to his feet and winced. He couldn't stand very well on his auto-mail.

"Brother! Are you okay?" Al quickly joined his side. Ed didn't give a clear response, he simply swung his head to a side and narrowed his eyes. The man was just standing still on the pile of rubble.

"Who are you?" Ed spat out furiously, "You don't seem like just an ordinary leader of a theft gang!"

"You are, oh, so right, about that one," he responded in a low voice, towards the end breaking in a fit of controlled, but maniacal sounding snickers. "The funny thing is that I know who you are… The Elric brothers, hm?"

Ed's lips pressed in a tight line and turned towards Al, exasperated. "Am I wearing my 'I am Edward Elric' T-shirt nowadays?" he grumbled helplessly.

Suddenly, Al nudged his elbow and Ed jumped. His eyes met the stranger, who took an offensive stance again. More precisely, he focused on the claws… his hands were dark colored, seeming as if they were wearing a layer of dark shaded iron.

"But that…!" Ed gasped.

"It looks familiar, right?" Al mused, narrowing his eyes.

That was impossible. True, there weren't exactly big chances to see someone able to do such a thing every day, on every corner. Ed noticed that he bent down, about to lung towards them again.

He had to take a chance.

"Greed!" Ed breathed out and the other stopped abruptly. A moment of silence followed and Ed started feeling rather tense… And then the man did it again- he tilted his head suddenly. It started with a few chuckles and then it escaladed into a loud, uncontrollable laughter which left both Ed and Al wide eyed and puzzled.

"…Did I say something hilarious?" Ed muttered with annoyance.

"Indeed, indeed," he snorted and took his hand up, stretching out his clawed fingers, "I've even managed this- to have people tremble with fear because of my name."

Ed flinched. He looked at Al, who looked back at him.

"So it is you," Ed sighed out, "Greed."

"But, how?" Al didn't hold back his confusion, "You're dead –"

"Dead?!" Greed hissed, "I'm right here. I'm alive."

Ed stretched out a hand, patting Al's shoulder. "He definitely died," he murmured, "But we now they can be resurrected. The problem is, who or what exactly brought him back to life?"

"Did you kill those teenagers at the bonfire?" Ed suddenly asked. Greed nodded firmly, without letting out any words.

"Are you alone?" Al asked calmly and Greed let out a questioning 'hmm', "Are there other homunculi?"

"Homunculi?" Greed flashed a quick laughter, "I don't know what you're talking about. And even if I did, visit time is over."

And then, rapidly, Greed turned around, crossing his arms before him right when a rain of bullets started to shoot towards his direction. With a cringe, Ed grabbed Al by his sleeve and pulled him out of the round hallway, sliding behind a wall. As much as he wanted to avoid the military, the moment he sat down against the wall, he was approached by some officers, very rough and rushed in their speaking.

"Who are you?!"

"We are part of the victims," Ed replied poisonously, "Instead of wasting time on us, you might want to get to," he pointed his thumb towards the hallway, "that guy over there."

It was only after that that Ed noticed they were all officers of the Defense Department, dressed in black uniforms. Apparently the officers realized the truth behind his words, because they let them be and focused on Greed. Ed wasn't sure what was exactly going on behind them, because his eardrums were being assaulted by rains of gunshots.

"We should go," Al suggested. Ed was reluctant. The fact that Greed happened to be inside of the Capitol, exactly in Karma City, Aerugo, intrigued him. But more intriguing was how exactly was he brought back to life? Not anyone could simply create a Homunculus.

But it was dangerous, so he ended up nodding. Carefully, he stood up, only to be pushed back down by someone.

"Stay down," it was the voice of an elderly man.

"Wha-?" Ed, in his confusion, wanted to protest, but once he met the man's sharp, violet eyes, he decided it was best to sink in against the wall and… well, wait.

His eyes were still fixed on his figure. And then Ed's jaw dropped when the man clapped his hands. After a vortex of bright yellow light, he took out a sword from his scythe and hurtled its tip against the ground. Astonished, Ed watched as blocks of wood emerged from the floor, straight into the hallway. Crashing noises echoed in the Capitol.

"Al! That's Alchemy!" Ed exclaimed, his voice ringing with enthusiasm. He didn't expect to find State Alchemists in a country where Alchemy was so underrated.

Some officers approached the man, dressed in black and gold, with sharp violet eyes and a mix of grey and dark locks in his hair. "General Avagart," they greeted, "You are being requested to put in practice the capture plan."

Avagart frowned, "Not yet."

A howl was heard and it genuinely sent some shivers down Ed's spine. It sounded almost beastly. Avagart's expression froze and, furiously, he slammed the tip of his sword into the floor.

"He shredded the wood blocks to pieces…" the man grumbled darkly.

"You can't touch him," Ed suddenly said. He felt obliged to warn those people, "He has a defensive shield."

"What is this nonsense?" Avagart sputtered.

"General!" an officer rushed over, "The suspect is gone."

"Gone?!" Avagart howled, "How could you let him escape?!"

Ed rose up to his feet slowly. The fighting sounds were gone. It was replaced by the commotion of some confused people who were squirming around in circles, lost. As she spun around on his toes, Ed hoped that he could get away safely, without having to suffer some questions.

"You, boys!" Avagart's voice called out and Ed stopped abruptly, his head turning around slowly. He was expecting to be sent in trials again for interfering with the state's business and whatnot. Instead, all that Avagart did was to say, "Get out."

Ed and Al submitted and, as they made their way towards the nearest exit, they realized that the building had been unsealed. Much to their bad lack, they had chosen the main entrance. The moment Ed opened the doors, he could see that oceans of people were gathered around curiously, locked behind the gates which circled the Capitol. It was a big commotion, which Intern Officers tried to sustain. Even different journalist had gathered in the masses.

"You," Ed jumped when a female voice basically breathed in his ear, "Go down and preferably take the back gate."

Ed swung his head around and blinked, his eyes meeting the figure of an average height girl, with long light blond hair and violet eyes. It seemed like eyes of that color were a typical trait for Aerugians.

"Yeah, I…" Ed arched an eyebrow. Was she part of the military? She seemed a bit too young for that, "Don't we need to give some explanations or something?"

She waved a hand and raised her eyebrows, "Not unless you insist."

Ed nodded briefly, jerking his head as he glanced at Al. He turned around on his toes and climbed down the stairs, turning left and away from the masses of curious people. They were walking along the streets of Karma in silence; Ed was deep in thought, his hands slipped in his pockets.

Al cleared his throat, "So, Greed…"

Ed sighed. "It's clear now," he murmured, "It wasn't that guy who killed those people."

"Why would Greed do such a thing?"

"This is the last thing I'm thinking about, honestly."

Al analyzed the surroundings for a few moments before speaking again, "Why are we going at Café D'Ulmo?"

"Because I have some questions," Ed stopped and turned towards Al. Ed's eyes had a flicker of fire inside of them, they were glistening. "You think that the fact you can make some lightbulbs glow is cool? I've learned something cooler."

Al parted his lips, hesitant in asking any further questions. He shook his head slowly.

"Al," Ed put a lot of accent on his words, "I've learned about another way to create Homunculi- through Human Transmutation."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you again for all the reviews and support I have received so far! They really keep me going. I hope I'm not letting you down with the story. **

**Don't forget to review/follow/favorite, please? Oh, yes!  
**

**Ed: *Sighs and pouts. Rips his shirt off sexily and hugs TaylorRiley17.* Thanks for the review on Chapter 7...  
**

**Me: Oh, actually... Thanks to everyone!  
**

**Ed: Wait, what?  
**

**Me: ... *Pushes everyone in a group hug with shirtless 19-year-old!Ed.*  
**


	9. Chapter 9: Nirvana

**A/N: Oh well! New chapter is here. I just want to let you guys know that this fan-fic will bring back the sins. Yes, your favorite homunculus will be back, will be improved and much more cooler. Also, this chapter is a bit weird shaped, in my opinion, but I hope you can understand it though. Anywaaaay! Here it is!  
**

* * *

**:xx- CHAPTER IX –xx:**

**[ nirvana ]**

~Edward's POV~

Madam Ulmo had a murderous look on her face, one that was more visible than usual. Her palms were against her hips and for a second, her eyebrow twitched too. _Funny_, Ed thought bewildered, _I didn't think devils existed until now_.

Ed couldn't exactly take the harsh treatment anymore. What was it that he or Al said, anyway?

"What?" Ed protested to the woman's piercing eyes, "What did I say?" She knocked a table down with her fist and the color drained from Ed's cheeks.

"W-we are so sorry!" Al jumped in and pulled Ed backwards by his pony-tail, "But we are still asking you again. Please!" He jumped down in a bow and Ed had to commit himself.

"You fools!" she spat out, "You want me to let you live here?!"

The brothers exchanged confused looks. _I thought we were clear enough on that,_ Ed thought with a helpless grimace written all over his face.

"Why would I ever accept such a thing?" she snorted, "It's been, a day or two, and you've already drawn infinite problems upon yourselves and don't you _think_," she bent forward and stretched out a finger filled with reproof, "that I haven't heard about your little trip to the Capitol."

Ed blinked. He was feeling much calmer than he was supposed to, in contrast with a trembling Al. "I know that, ma'am," Ed said solemnly, "I know that it must be difficult to cope with our whereabouts. But we – "

"Will you not get in any trouble?" she raised a brow.

Ed gaped at her for a second, "I can't promise that. I'd lie." He didn't really want to look at her, because he felt like she was judging him intently. But even so, he heard her sigh, it wasn't really an angered sigh though. It almost sounded like she was impressed.

"Don't get me involved in your reckless business," she mumbled.

Ed felt the urge to grin, but held it out. It seemed inappropriate. "Got it!" he retorted with seriousness.

"Or Charlotte."

"Of course!" Al replied instead.

"…You can involve Cedric if you want."

Ed cringed, "O-kay…?"

She turned around on her heels, "There are vacant rooms upstairs. None of them has two beds, though. You either share one, either move in different rooms. Though, frankly, I'd dislike it if you decided to pointlessly occupy a perfectly vacant room…"

Ed turned to look at Al quickly. He'd just have to cope with sharing the bed. How bad could it be, anyway?

_-That night-_

"Ugh, brother!"

"Why aren't you sleeping, Al?"

"How could I?! You're all over the bed! I'm staying on the edge! I fell a few times!"

"Oh. Sorry."

"…"

"…"

"Aren't you going to move, now?"

_ROLL. CRASH._

"OUCH! Brother!"

"What the hell did I do now?! You're so picky! Be glad that you don't have to sleep in a phone booth or something!"

"And you could try not to hit me with your auto-mail! I have flesh again, remember?"

"Lord! Fine! I'll just sleep on the floor, so you shut up."

"I never asked you to do th – "

"Goodnight, Alphonse."

"…By the way, you snore."

Ed's last action for the night consisted in throwing a pillow flat out in Al's face.

* * *

~Charlotte's POV~

The tables were all clean. Everything was neatly arranged, from the bottles in the bar, to the menus. It was only fair for Charlotte to take a break, although she never seemed to get tired anyway. She was sitting down at one of the tables inside, reading the newspaper. _That bonfire murder again…_ Her brows furrowed, displeased. _Ugh. Horrible. They've been burned, too. No wonder nobody could identify those poor people._ She shook her head and laid the newspaper back down, right when the bell at the entrance rang.

_Auntie said she will come back later only,_ the girl thought as she stood up and blinked. Cedric walked inside, his clothing drowned in the black color. Her lips parted and she waved her fingers as a salute. _Cedric rarely comes here. Strange._

"Hey, Charlotte," he said rather grimly and stopped in the middle of the chamber, letting his dark orbs inspect the… walls. What was he doing, anyway? Maybe he was looking for Auntie. But how was she supposed to tell him that? Her lips parted lightly and she approached him carefully, and then tugged on to the rim of his shirt. He eyed her dully, a sudden glimmer in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah," he grumbled and rotated his head, "I came to talk to you." _To me?_ Charlotte blinked, curiously. Suddenly, he snorted and, with a somewhat irony, added, "Not _talk_ to you. Because… well, you know."

She couldn't help but frown, her fingers twitching away and her eyes staring intently at him. He was looking back and looked rather… bothered, but not in the way that there was _something_ bothering him. More like, he seemed… irritated.

"Are you more cooperative, by nature?" he asked suddenly.

And she flinched. _What the hell?_ He didn't seem to be expecting an actual answer, for he started approaching her… but didn't stop next to her. Instead, he started moving around in circles around her, nonchalant and stiff.

"I mean, I should have known that woman is so stubborn," he continued, his voice sounding like a low growl, "But then I remembered that maybe I didn't go to the right person. You were the first face I saw that day. You were all bleeding from your throat and crying, with your brother's clothes in your arms…"

_What…_ Her very own thoughts dried out as she stared off in distance. How was that possible? What was he saying? Why did he remind her of that day? Her eyes were big, taking in the image of the bloody transmutation circle… and the leftovers of a toll which she never knew why was needed in the first place.

She bit her lip gently, her head going down. Her shoulders were trembling. _What are you doing, Cedric? What are you saying?_

He sighed. "This whole 'mental torture' thing isn't exactly one of my favorites, so," he looked at her boredly, "I know you have it. So, can I have the book with the transmutation circle?"

She started shaking her head instantly, furiously and vehemently. She didn't even bother to question herself any further. A no was a no, so nothing else was needed.

Or maybe there was. She froze.

Who was this person? When her eyes rose again, he was gone.

* * *

~Edward's POV~

"Ugh!" Ed groaned, clutching his head, "How am I supposed to focus with everything that's outside going on?"

Al looked just as tired. Actually, it looked like Al even gave up earlier than he did. It was already noon and the two had spent all those hours inside of the largest – and thus the one with most information – library of Karma. They also had the bad idea of trying to read into information about Aerugo and its Alchemy whilst the carnival was about to start.

_Goodness,_ Ed felt the need to collapse over the books –which didn't really tell him anything anyway, _So much noise. What's the point in even holding a carnival if the preparations are noisier?_

"Agh!" Ed hurtled his empty sheets of paper in the air, "Let's just call this a day off. It's helpless. Did you have any luck?"

Al seemed incredibly relieved when he closed the books, but a bit let down as he shook his head, "No… not really. Every history book mentions the Alchemy, but there's nothing more than that."

"Alright," Ed waved a hand and cringed when he stood up. His every bone was aching. He should have moved around, maybe, instead of sitting down for hours in the same position.

"What are we going to do now?" Al inquired while stretching.

"Weeeell…" a grin popped on Ed's face, "We can go out and enjoy the carnival, eh? It's just about to start." Al looked really pleased at the suggestion. Fun time was always… fun.

...

Ribbons tied around poles, streets filled with colorful confetti, lots of lights ready for the night, plenty of stands with games where people could earn prizes… It was quite a view. None of them actually got to see what a carnival looked like, because Amestris didn't really celebrate that way. Ed could say he was… eager, like a little child, and Al just had to pick on that, though he was feeling just the same.

"Alright!" Ed winked, "I'm going to win that huge teddy bear!"

"Really?" Al had a somewhat malicious look on his face, "It's kind of bigger than you are, brother." Ed cringed and reached out towards Al's neck, but stopped himself midway. He spotted a group of children pointing towards the stand with the game of darts, and the bear as a prize.

"Oh!" he quickly marched towards the stand, dragging Al after him, "Come on, they will tear this apart if they get before us." Al didn't say anything, but he was sure he wanted to. There was only one other person at the stand and she was muffling on a puffed cotton candy.

"Hi," she said and Ed blinked. He processed her figure for a while… Long pale blond hair, violet eyes… the clothes didn't seem to be carved in his memory, but…

"Right!" Ed exclaimed and nudged Al, "You were outside the Capitol yesterday, right? You told us to take the back exit. You remember us?"

She shrugged, "Citizens have a tendency of remembering their terrorists." Ed pulled a face, his eyes narrowing.

"We are not terrorists. I thought it was clear since we are free," he mumbled, "And little girls shouldn't be wandering around a building with hostages."

"Uh," she pulled an awkward face. Actually, it looked like he should have been the one to feel awkward. "I'm part of the military, so…"

Ed and Al gasped in unison.

"Really?!" Al was completely awed, "Wow! I would have never guessed!"

She smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I know." She paused only to hold out her hand. "I'm Lavinia," with an arched brow, Ed stretched out his hand towards hers, "Lavinia Avagart." And his fingers twitched.

Lavinia suddenly snorted, letting out a giggle, "What a face… You look like you've just seen a ghost. Anything wrong?" _Avagart?_ Ed sighed dryly, _That creep with the wood Alchemy is her relative?_ For some reason he didn't want to ask that. He was afraid she might say she was his fiancée or something. Oh, he'd been in countries where he had seen situations like those. For instance, one of Aerugo's neighbors was Romanor – a country filled with traditions, but it just had a weird way with its couples.

"I'm Alphonse Elric and he's my brother, Edward," Al recovered quicker from the shock and shook her hand instead as Ed kept on grumbling.

* * *

~Alphonse's POV~

It was night. At exactly 9 PM, almost every Karma inhabitant was participating in the carnival, one way or another. Karma was a city shaped like a star, with many branches. The Capitol was in the center, within the Main Square. The event started there, but parades and carts were going to spread everywhere.

Al was in the Square, with Ed and Lavinia. Of course Ed didn't consider to ask Lavinia whether she liked to join them or not, but Al was considerate enough to do it. She was all by herself anyway. Well, apparently…

Within the crowds Lavinia spotted someone she knew and, just because it was polite, the brothers joined her. She stumbled across a young male, rather pale and tired looking. He seemed to be fit, but it couldn't be seen through the layers of large clothes. His dull-brown hair fell lightly in his eyes, of an intense chocolate color, with almost a tint of red.

"This is Valentine," Lavinia said and tapped his shoulder lightly, "And these are Edward and Alphonse Elric. I've just met them and… they're nice." She turned to look at them, blinking from her intense violet eyes. "Valentine is a bit of an old friend of mine."

"A bit?" Ed grumbled. Valentine looked terribly scared of nothing. It was both endearing and pitiful, for some reason. The boy nodded once, gathering his arms in front of him, almost like a defense.

"Don't be fooled by his frail appearance," Lavinia said with a smile, "He actually works as an auto-mail mechanic."

"Whoa!" Ed exclaimed half-heartedly, a part of him still unable to process the words as being true.

Then everything was flooded by the sound of trumpets and drums, parade carts making their way through the buildings, confetti flying everything. There were even some acrobats walking along the carts, fluttering ribbons and circles. It was quite a spectacle and it made Ed's and Al's eyes glisten with a childish joy.

The lights went on in the streets, along with several trays of chalk drawn around the city. They started… glowing a pale red color. Al skewed his head lightly. How did they do that? Either way, everyone was fascinated. He suddenly looked at Ed, who had a dead serious look on his face, his nose wrinkled up. Al's eyes fell on the ground, rolling along the red lines.

"Valentine!" Lavinia called out and Al jolted quickly, "What's wrong with you? Valentine?"

The boy was tumbled over on the ground, cringed in a little ball. Lavinia was shaking him around by his shoulders, yet he wasn't moving. He looked like a sensitive person, but still… Al's own thoughts trailed off when he suddenly felt his legs going numb underneath him.

"A-Ah!" he exclaimed towards Ed who was aimlessly balancing around on his feet, "Brother?! What is going on?" He decided to give himself an answer and toppled back a few steps, raising his eyes towards the sky. It was cloudy, but of a bright grey, and it reflected the red lights which danced around.

"Oi, Al…" Ed murmured. Al gulped a dry feeling and froze. People were collapsing on the ground, with a few exceptions. He had to ignore them. He had to focus on the déjà vu. He had…

"Brother!" Al gasped, "This is a transmutation circle?!"

"I don't know," Ed's reply was quick, meaning he shared his opinion, "I don't know what kind of circle makes people drop like rocks on the ground…" His eyes trailed towards Lavinia. She was still crouched next to Valentine, but she seemed alright overall.

She stood up, a violent frown on her face, and whipped out a little device. "Lavinia Avagart here! Are you aware of the situation in the Square?" Pause. "What do you mean?! You're just in the building! Look out through the goddamn window!"

Al immediately faced the Capitol. Its windows shone in the same red tint, but it didn't seem like a reflection. "I think we really need to check what's going on in there," he said towards a Lavinia who was clenching the device in her hands, fuming. Her lips moved some… and then she started running immediately.

"Wait! Hold up!" Ed started after but held a hand out towards Al, "No! Stay there! Make sure Valentine's alright, see what's happening! Alright?" Al nodded reluctantly. That was a stupid way to put things. He was the one with the Alchemy, which would be useful in situations like these… He sighed and lowered himself on one knee next to the boy. He was completely stiff and motionless.

But Al mostly kept his eyes on the lines of the apparent circle. Until it simply stopped glowing, leaving no tray of chalk behind. When that happened, he felt Valentine slip away and crash on the ground completely.

* * *

~Edward's POV~

He entered the building, which had its doors wide open. Lavinia was a fast runner, but the fact that his leg was close to crumbling underneath him wasn't helping either. Now he really wished he would have known about that auto-mail mechanic before. He cringed.

"Oi! Stop it already!" Ed called out, exasperated. And she did stop, turning to look at him with a lost look on her face. It quickly shifted to a questioning look.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired and when an odd sound was heard, she immediately flicked her eyes towards the said direction. It was nothing, apparently.

"I came to help," Ed replied.

"Help with what?" she tilted her head.

"Uh," he rolled his eyes upwards and blinked, "With… Whatever's inside."

"I'm fine, Edward," she grumbled flatly and when she turned around, she jolted at the sight of a pool of red light slipping underneath a closed door. Ed rolled his eyes and basically dragged his mechanical limb towards the door. Although he hesitated at first, he ended up opening it anyway. Rather violently, too.

...

He stepped inside of a dusty, darkened room. It was empty. It had dark walls and floor. He wasn't even sure why such a room existed within the Capitol. His mouth hung open for a second as he glanced around. Remembering the circle, he looked down. It was hard to distinguish anything. He narrowed his eyes.

That made him notice a few splutters of blood.

"What's this room?" he asked when Lavinia swung her way into the doorframe. She cringed, "We shouldn't be here, in normal conditions. It's the wing that was in the direction of the bombs during Aerugo's Second Great War. Those bombs had some sort of… gas in them."

Fabulous. With his nose wrinkled, displeased, Ed walked inside with slow steps. And then a sweep reached his ears. It came right from his front, but yet again, he couldn't quite see anything. It was a silent sweep, pathetical, and with little hiccups. It sounded more like a whine.

Light suddenly burst into the room when Lavinia pulled some curtains away. And Ed felt his stomach turn. There was a circle. Definitely a transmutation circle, made of blood. Madam Ulmo was knelt down in its center, swinging left and right, a hand pressed to her mouth to apparently cover her whines. Behind her, he spotted the fallen figure of a girl.

"That's…" Ed gasped and quickly slid his way over, "Charlotte!?" She was lying in a pool of blood, but was still moving. He didn't know if he should touch her or anything.

"Hey," Lavinia tapped his shoulder and he twitched lightly. She cleared her throat as she knelt down next to them, "Let me look at her."

"You're a doctor?" Ed asked with a small crack in his voice.

"Not really," she tugged some hair behind her ear and cracked a smile – so visibly forced, "I'm pretty good with medical Alchemy, however." Ed's eyes met madam Ulmo's figure. He looked once more at Lavinia and nodded firmly before he stood up and approached the woman.

"Madam?" he murmured, a grave look on his face. She didn't say anything. He stretched out his arm, "Madam… What are you doing here? What happened?"

"Edward…" her voice was a trembling murmur, muffled by her own fingers. She sounded insane and it was something difficult for Ed to imagine. But he had to get a grip of himself.

"…Yes?" he replied gently.

And she suddenly grabbed his wrist. He nearly pulled back, but he knew that, in her state, that would make her fall face down on the ground. "You could have helped, right?" she said, almost desperately. Ed was staring at her expression. It was… dull. She was completely blank and yet her voice was a rollercoaster of emotions.

"I, er…" he pulled an awkward face, "I guess so."

"I should have told you," she shook her head.

"Tell me what?"

She suddenly snorted and was about to break into a fit of laughs, when Ed quickly bent forward and shook her shoulders firmly. "Tell me what, Madam? What happened?"

"I did a Human Transmutation."

Ed's eye twitched, "Now?"

She shook her head vehemently and he was forced to shake her shoulders again. "No, no," she whined, "Not now. When Charlotte lost her voice."

"I knew that already…" Ed said helplessly.

"It succeeded, Edward."

He was processing it. The words didn't get to him.

"We did a Human Transmutation that was successful. We brought Cedric back to life."

_No way_, Ed let our a dry chuckle, _As if… Shit… SHIT. OH SHIT!_

* * *

__**A/N: In next chapter: what happened in that room, what the circle was about etc. We'll see some new characters, too. So yeah. I'm out of things to tell you for now... So if you have any questions, just leave them and I'll answer. :) As always, I want to thank the people who followed, favorited and reviewed this story! You are fantastic!  
**

**Don't forget to review!  
**


	10. SPECIAL NOTICE!

**Megurine-Mockingbird here,**

**This is another special notice of that kind. Unfortunately, its purpose is not to let you all know about a possible delay. In fact, it's to let you all know that I'm going to drop this specific story, respectively its idea. There's also some good news for those who've liked the story so far, so just keep reading.  
**

**What was meant to start out as a story involving Ed's and Al's new adventures after meeting up again, developed a lot differently in my head. The way I've written these first chapters, I can't continue the story with the ideas I have now. However, there is a big possibility that I will make a new story to involve Ed and Al traveling the world together. But for now, I'm starting a new story.  
**

**I don't have a title yet. It will be post-Brotherhood as well, and the main focus will be the new deadly seven sins. If you like 'em, that's great. Things will happen in Amestris, so more of the others... Anyway.  
**

**That's what I wanted to tell you. I'll abandon this one. And I'll start the story above. I have big plans for it, so yay!  
**


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